NEW YORK — Holiday sales at drug chains edged up slightly versus a year ago, as uncertainty over the economy left consumers wary of boosting their spending. Another crimp on sales growth was deep discounts. While retailers trimmed inventory for the holiday season to avoid having to clear out overstocks with price cuts, consumers were
NEW YORK — Pervasive optimism over the economy and strong early online sales signaled a robust holiday shopping season. Economic growth, a lack of inflation, rising wages and low unemployment have buoyed consumers and augured a willingness to spend significantly through December. And while many shoppers are favoring online purchases, the general enthusiasm was also
NEW YORK — Consumers are expected to increase their spending this holiday season, bolstered by an economy that is showing signs of strength. The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects sales in November and December (excluding cars, gasoline and restaurant sales) to increase 3.6% to $655.8 billion. That is significantly higher than the 10-year average of
WASHINGTON — Retail sales increased for a third straight month in January. The 0.2% gain matched the previous month’s performance, which the Commerce Department initially reported as a decline but revised upward as more data came in. Economists at the National Retail Federation (NRF) predict retail industry sales this year will exceed their 10-year average
WASHINGTON — Economists at the National Retail Federation (NRF) predict retail industry sales this year will exceed their 10-year average as the economy continues to grow and consumers show more willingness to spend. The federation forecasts sales will rise 3.1% in 2016, topping the 2.7% average over the past decade. The report, released Wednesday, predicts
NEW YORK — Walgreens was presented with the Retail Innovator of the Year award by the National Retail Federation at the NRF Retail’s Big Show in New York City. Alex Gourlay, president of Walgreens, accepted the award on behalf of the drug chain from Claudio Del Vecchio, chairman and chief executive officer of Brooks Brothers.
NEW YORK — Drug stores outpaced other mass retailers in December sales, even with modest increases in total and same-store sales for the month. Total drug store sales in December were up 4% compared with the same month last year, according to research by Chain Drug Review publisher Racher Press. Same-store sales increased 1.7%. And
NEW YORK — A late shopping rush on the weekend before Christmas helped put some twinkle in holiday retail sales, but the final results for the season seemed to fall short of the optimistic projections retailers had set back in early November. Drug chains, however, may have fared slightly better during the holidays than the
