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‘The Daily Wrap:’ Burger King, Amazon, Bashas’

Published on September 02, 2010

Burger King Said to Hold Buyout Talks With 3G Capital
Fast food retailer Burger King Holdings, Inc. is reportedly in talks with 3G Capital about a buyout. The public company could potentially improve troubled relations with its franchisees and differentiate itself from chief competitor McDonald’s by selling its business to a private equity firm. Source: Bloomberg

Amazon Plans New...
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Consumer Confidence Rebounds in August - Update

Published on September 02, 2010

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index increased in August 2010, reversing two straight months of decline, which in turn followed three consecutive months of improvement.

Last month, the Index rose moderately from 51 to 53.5. In July 2010, the Index fell from 54.3 to 51, a less severe drop than June 2010’s decline from 62.7. An improvement in consumers’ short-term outlook drove the...
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Retail Email Volume Grows 8% Annually in August

Published on September 02, 2010

Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 2.6 promotional emails on average during the week ending August 27, 2010, according to Chad White, research director at Responsys and author of the Retail Email Blog. That’s down 8% week-over-week, down 3% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 8% year-over-year.

Except for a notable spike during the week ending August 20, when top online...
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‘The Daily Wrap:’ Dollar General, Wal-Mart, Hannaford

Published on September 01, 2010

Dollar General Increases Net Income by Half
Dollar store retailer reported net income of $141.2 million in Q2 fiscal 2010, a 51% year-over-year increase. Dollar General also grew gross margin, operating profit and same-store sales. Source: Dollar General

Wal-Mart Canada Pushes Private Label
Wal-Mart Canada is giving its private label fashion range George a revamp and retrofitting the apparel...
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State of US Same-Store Sales - July 2010 and Quarterly Data Update and Full-Year Outlook

Published on September 01, 2010

Retailer Daily has compiled comparable store sale data from the SEC filings of 26 major US retailers spanning several years, up to the most recently released July 2010 and quarterly numbers. The data excludes fuel sales and is available in Microsoft Excel format from the link below:

Indications from July 2010 and the most recent quarterly same-store sales results across several verticals...
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RPI Declines 4th Straight Month - Update

Published on September 01, 2010

The Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) declined for [pdf] the fourth straight month in July 2010, signifying continuing contraction in the food service vertical. The index of restaurant performance, which shrank 0.1% from 99.5 in June to 99.4 in July, dropped 0.3% from 99.7 in May to 99.5 in June, after initially slipping from 100.4 in April.

The RPI previously remained below 100, signifying...
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‘The Daily Wrap:’ Blockbuster, Kroger, Borders

Published on August 31, 2010

Blockbuster Bankruptcy in Works Could Shut 800 Stores
According to several published reports quoting sources familiar with the situation, struggling media entertainment chain Blockbuster will enter a “pre-planned” bankruptcy in mid-September 2010 that will allow it to restructure a debt load of nearly $1 billion, as well as escape leases on 500 to 800 of its worst-performing brick-and-mortar...
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Mature Consumers Appreciate Brand Daring

Published on August 31, 2010

A growing audience of experienced, less-easily shocked, outspoken consumers appreciate brands that are a little bit more daring and outspoken, according to consumer insights firm trendwatching.com.

The Rise of ‘Maturialism’

trendwatching.com has dubbed this growing consumer trend “Maturialism.” According to trendwatching.com, consumers of today no longer tolerate being treated like...
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eBay, Wal-Mart Receive Most Visits – Update

Published on August 31, 2010

Online auction retailer eBay and discount retailer Wal-Mart received the most online visitors in July 2010, according to [pdf] comScore MediaMetrix data.

During July 2010, eBay received about 69.5 million unique U.S. visitors, placing it 13th among all sites and making it the most-visited site whose primary function is retailing. About 32.5% of the roughly 213.6 million unique U.S. internet...
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‘The Daily Wrap:’ Ikea, Best Buy, Johnny Rockets

Published on August 30, 2010

Ikea Expands in China
Home furnishing retailer Ikea, which is speeding up its expansion in China, plans to open four new stores across the country during the next two years. Ikea will open its second store in Shanghai next year and open locations in Tianjin and Wuxi, as well as its second store in Beijing, in 2012. Source: China Daily

Best Buy Names Chief Design Officer
Consumer electronics...
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