Retailers report mixed bag Weather kept wrap on October results, analysts say Steve Painter and Toby Manthey / Arkansas Democrat-Gazette The nation’s retailers reported Thursday mixed sales results for October, with many citing warm weather in the first half of the month as the reason shoppers delayed purchases of cool weather clothing. Sales at stores […]

No need to wait for holiday shopping Retailers are offering “Black Friday” sales weeks before Thanksgiving Andrea K. Walker / The Baltimore Sun The holiday shopping season was once a game of retail chicken, as shoppers delayed buying in hopes that stores would drop prices the longer they held out. Extremists even waited to buy […]

German Retailer Fashion Club Debuts First U.S. Store in L.A. Deborah Belgum / California Apparel News After months of scouting Los Angeles retail locations and putting the finishing touches on its wide range of merchandise, a fast-fashion German retailer has quietly rolled out its first store in the United States. Fasion Club, whose price-conscious clothes […]

Microsoft Squares Off With Apple In Gadget Store Showdown George Anderson / Forbes Microsoft’s close proximity to the Apple store at the Mall of America may be like drafting behind Lance Armstrong, or eating his dust. In a July RetailWire poll, 54% of respondents thought Microsoft’s move into operating its own retail stores was a […]

Holiday Jewelry Buying Guide Sarah Morgan / SmartMoney Call it the Beyonce effect. In spite of the sluggish economy and the tight job market, more consumers say they’d like someone to put a ring on it this holiday season. Jewelry ranks higher on holiday wish lists than laptops, smartphones, digital cameras or TVs, according to […]