U.S. Retailers Grow Optimistic About the Holidays Amid Rebound

[charrison]

linkage

U.S. retailers ranging from Kohl's Corp. to Williams-Sonoma Inc. are forecasting higher sales growth during the holiday season than last year, boosted by an economic rebound and a recovery in stock markets.

Sales increases of 5 percent or more are projected by analysts during the fourth-quarter for merchants such as No. 2 U.S. discounter Target Corp., upscale department store Nordstrom Inc. and No. 1 bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc. Overall sales will rise 5.7 percent, the best pace in four years, according to the National Retail Federation.

``You get the sense that everybody's a bit more optimistic,'' said Britt Jenkins, chief executive of Tandy Brands Accessories Inc. The Arlington, Texas-based company produces handbags, belts and wallets for companies such as Levi Strauss & Co. and Jones Apparel Group Inc.

An income tax cut, low interest rates and rising stock prices, which helped the economy grow at the fastest rate in almost two decades during the third quarter, are expected to spur demand. The Thanksgiving to Christmas period anchors the biggest sales quarter for most retailers, accounting for as much as 40 percent of revenue for companies such as Toys ``R'' Inc.

``Retailers are going to do well,'' said Hardy Bowen, who helps manage about $11 billion, including shares of Barnes & Noble and May Department Stores Co., at Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder Advisors in New York. ``Markdowns are going to be less and sales are going to be higher.''

Analysts forecast fourth-quarter retailer earnings will rise by 15.3 percent, according to Thomson Financial, which tabulates the average projections for 138 companies. That compares to the average 13.5 percent gain in the 2002 fourth quarter.

More bad news....

 

[Crimson]

Damn that Bush! He should be impeached!

 

[dmcowen674]

``Retailers are going to do well,'' said Hardy Bowen, who helps manage about $11 billion, including shares of Barnes & Noble and May Department Stores Co., at Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder Advisors in New York. ``Markdowns are going to be less and sales are going to be higher.''

Sure, the fat & happy rich that have benefitted and unaffected by the loss of millions of jobs continued to get richer so they are the ones spending some money at the stores. Is that the only thing the Economy is measured by now?

Not bad News but shows what many have been pointing out in here and you two guys turn a blind eye to for some reason.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Crimson
Damn that Bush! He should be impeached!

On what grounds?

 

[mastertech01]

One good way to boost the economy is to report when things are starting to look up and encourage further spending by consumers. If you simply paint a gloomy picture all the time the economy will never recover.

I spend money in your business, you spend money on my business and the world goes round. If we all gasp at the news and hold up for perfect weather we will simply sink the ship.

Every economy regardless how strong has its unemployed. If you happen to work in the weak part of that job sector the economy looks horrible. If you are in the strong sector you think everything is sweet. The bulk of us work in the swing part, and we just have to learn to swing with it and adjust.

 

[dirtboy]

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
``Retailers are going to do well,'' said Hardy Bowen, who helps manage about $11 billion, including shares of Barnes & Noble and May Department Stores Co., at Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder Advisors in New York. ``Markdowns are going to be less and sales are going to be higher.''

Sure, the fat & happy rich that have benefitted and unaffected by the loss of millions of jobs continued to get richer so they are the ones spending some money at the stores. Is that the only thing the Economy is measured by now?

Not bad News but shows what many have been pointing out in here and you two guys turn a blind eye to for some reason.

You are extremely pessemistic and always unhappy. No matter what the news is, you have a negative spin on it. If someone loses their job, you say the economy is in a depression. If someone gets hired, you say that it is meaningless because not enough people got hired. If retailers are optomistic about revenue, you say it's just the rich getting richer. If there's a tax cut, you say it's for the rich.

I'm sick of your negative spin on everything. If you're so brilliant, which you're not, why don't you say what it is that the economy needs?? Hmmm??

 

[Crimson]

Originally posted by: dirtboy

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
``Retailers are going to do well,'' said Hardy Bowen, who helps manage about $11 billion, including shares of Barnes & Noble and May Department Stores Co., at Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder Advisors in New York. ``Markdowns are going to be less and sales are going to be higher.''

Sure, the fat & happy rich that have benefitted and unaffected by the loss of millions of jobs continued to get richer so they are the ones spending some money at the stores. Is that the only thing the Economy is measured by now?

Not bad News but shows what many have been pointing out in here and you two guys turn a blind eye to for some reason.

You are extremely pessemistic and always unhappy. No matter what the news is, you have a negative spin on it. If someone loses their job, you say the economy is in a depression. If someone gets hired, you say that it is meaningless because not enough people got hired. If retailers are optomistic about revenue, you say it's just the rich getting richer. If there's a tax cut, you say it's for the rich.

I'm sick of your negative spin on everything. If you're so brilliant, which you're not, why don't you say what it is that the economy needs?? Hmmm??

I think he needs to put as much effort into finding a job as he puts into spin meistering.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: Crimson

Originally posted by: dirtboy

Originally posted by: dmcowen674
``Retailers are going to do well,'' said Hardy Bowen, who helps manage about $11 billion, including shares of Barnes & Noble and May Department Stores Co., at Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder Advisors in New York. ``Markdowns are going to be less and sales are going to be higher.''

Sure, the fat & happy rich that have benefitted and unaffected by the loss of millions of jobs continued to get richer so they are the ones spending some money at the stores. Is that the only thing the Economy is measured by now?

Not bad News but shows what many have been pointing out in here and you two guys turn a blind eye to for some reason.

You are extremely pessemistic and always unhappy. No matter what the news is, you have a negative spin on it. If someone loses their job, you say the economy is in a depression. If someone gets hired, you say that it is meaningless because not enough people got hired. If retailers are optomistic about revenue, you say it's just the rich getting richer. If there's a tax cut, you say it's for the rich.

I'm sick of your negative spin on everything. If you're so brilliant, which you're not, why don't you say what it is that the economy needs?? Hmmm??

I think he needs to put as much effort into finding a job as he puts into spin meistering.

Ummm - Crimson - I'm pretty sure that Dave does work hard at finding a good job, it's just unfortunate that his line of work was hit pretty hard in recent years plus the "other" things that have happened to him, and so I don't feel it's entirely fair to slam him like you did. Now, ofcourse, there are many that are still unemployed that should have found new careers or atleast should have been more flexible in their search for a job since the days of the tech boom are long gone and so are the inflated salaries and over staffing that came with it.

Now I will pick on Dave's comments though, since he seems to have said that the numbers are up because the rich "are the ones spending some money at the stores." Well, I thought last week the argument was that the rich were just hoarding their money.....
Hmmm.... I don't see how people can play both sides of that.

CkG

 

[DealMonkey]

Good news for retailers...

 

[rjain]

... and people who work for retailers and people who make the things that are being sold and people who make lunches for people who work at and visit retailers and people who own retail property and people who ...

 

[DamnDirtyApe]

This isn't good news - retail jobs suck anyway. Who wants to have a careers as a Wal-Mart "associate"?

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: DamnDirtyApe
This isn't good news - retail jobs suck anyway. Who wants to have a careers as a Wal-Mart "associate"?

One word for you. "Elitist"

You seem to forget all the industry that supports "retail". Not only is this good news for the "retail" worker, it's good for shipping, banking, etc. It's awfully narrow of you or anyone to imply that this only helps the "associate" at Wal-Mart. Please get off your snobbish high-horse and realize that everyone else isn't a genius like you

I don't work at Wal-Mart, don't have plans to do so, but you can bet your ass that I'd take a job there if I needed a job and couldn't find a "better"(according to you) one.

CkG

 

[dirtboy]

Originally posted by: CADkindaGUY
Ummm - Crimson - I'm pretty sure that Dave does work hard at finding a good job, it's just unfortunate that his line of work was hit pretty hard in recent years plus the "other" things that have happened to him, and so I don't feel it's entirely fair to slam him like you did. Now, ofcourse, there are many that are still unemployed that should have found new careers or atleast should have been more flexible in their search for a job since the days of the tech boom are long gone and so are the inflated salaries and over staffing that came with it.

Well, when your industry is hit hard, one needs to reinvent themselves. Not to mention he cut his own throat with his mishap. The point being, just because he screwed himself and that there isn't more tech jobs to go around than their are workers, doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the economy.

He's paying the price for his own foolishness. Perhaps he has learned something. If he was smart, he'd move as far away from Florida as possible and start a new life.

 

[rjain]

Originally posted by: DamnDirtyApe
This isn't good news - retail jobs suck anyway.

Well, people ARE turned off a bit by walking up to a cash register with a dirty ape behind the counter, so I can see where your hatred for the industry comes from.