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‘The Daily Wrap:’ 84 Lumber, Wal-Mart, Marks & Spencer
84 Lumber Leaves 2 States
Lumber retailer 84 Lumber closed 10 stores in 10 states this week due to declining housing starts. Two of those closures signify 84 Lumber’s leaving the Idaho and Wisconsin markets. Source: Home Channel News
Wal-Mart Trains Sights on ‘Dragon’
Discount retailer Wal-Mart is entering what it calls a first-of-its-kind marketing partnership to promote the DreamWorks...
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CPI-U Has Flat February - Update
On a seasonally adjusted basis, the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) remained flat in February 2010. This ended six straight months of the CPI-U increasing by less than 0.5%.
From August 2009-January 2010, the CPI-U registered increases of 0.4%, 0.3%, 0.2% 0.4%, 0.1%, and 0.2%, respectively. According to the Bureau of Labor Services, last month’s flat performance was the...
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‘The Daily Wrap:’ Home Depot, Amazon, Starbucks
Home Depot Springs Black Friday Sale
Home improvement retailer The Home Depot is running “Spring Black Friday,” a weekend of regional door-buster sales, starting Thursday, March 18, 2010 in southern and western states and at a later date in cooler parts of the country. Sale assortments will vary by local geography and customer preference. Source: The Home Depot
Amazon Releases Kindle for...
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Job Stability Leads to Spending – Update
Seven in 10 Americans consider their job situation today “just as stable” or “more stable” than last year, according to the March 2010 American Express Spending & Saving Tracker. The Tracker also indicates this feeling of job stability often leads to higher spending.
Most Consumers Feel Stable at WorkFifty-four percent of Americans consider their current job situation “just as...
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Consumer Demand Key to Sustaining Economy - Update
The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) rose for the 11th consecutive month [pdf] in February 2010. Although the LEI’s rate of increase is hovering at a fraction of 1%, the Index suggests economic recovery is moving into expansion, provided continued consumer demand can support it.
The LEI, which measures economic activity for the next six months, rose 0.1%, from a revised score of...
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‘The Daily Wrap:’ Fandango, Wal-Mart, hhgregg
Fandango Launches Mobile Ticket Program
Online movie ticket retailer Fandango is unveiling a new service that lets customers purchase and download tickets from their mobile phones. Fandango is debuting the service in eight markets in New York, New Jersey, Texas, California and Hawaii. Source: Fandango
Wal-Mart Unveils ‘Twilight Saga’ Shops
Discount retailer Wal-Mart is opening themed...
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‘The Daily Wrap:’ Wal-Mart, Supervalu, Google
Wal-Mart Recruits Vets for Management
Discount retailer Wal-Mart is one of many U.S. companies recruiting junior military officers who have served in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts as managers. Wal-Mart is finding that lieutenants and captains with wartime experience have maturity and leadership abilities many non-veterans their age lack. Source: Fortune
Supervalu Buyout Speculated
Many...
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Private Label CPG Dollar, Unit Sales Continue Growth – Update
For the second straight month, private label CPG dollar and unit sales both rose in February 2010. According to research firm The Nielsen Company, during the four-week period ended February 20, 2010, private label CPG dollar sales climbed 2.4% on an annual basis, while private label CPG unit sales increased 0.9% annually.
Dollar Sales Total $6.92B
Dollar sales of prepackaged, UPC-coded CPG...
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Freight TSI Slightly Improves in Jan. - Update
The Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI), which measures the month-to-month changes in freight shipments in ton-miles, rose 0.4% between December 2009 and January 2010. According to the Bureau of Transportation Services (BTS), the Freight TSI reached 96.6 in January 2010.
The Freight TSI, which stayed level at 96.2 in December, did a fair amount of bouncing around during 2009....
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Breakfast Menus Heat Up in 2009
U.S. restaurants added more than 460 new breakfast items to their menus in 2009, according to new figures from market research firm Mintel. This is more items than were added in 2007 or 2008.
Consumer Breakfast Interest CoolsDespite restaurant retailers’ increasing emphasis on breakfast, consumers appear to be losing interest in what is often termed the “most important meal of the day.”...
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