WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. retail sales rose modestly in January, evidence that Americans kept shopping despite sharp drops in stock prices.
The Commerce Department said Friday that retail sales increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2 percent last month, the same as in December. Excluding the effect of falling gas prices, sales rose 0.4 percent.
6. Today's CEO: The changing role at the top - Friday, May 16, 2014
NEW YORK (AP) — Used to be that CEOs were hired for their knowledge of the industry, years of experience and the ability to lead with a tight fist. But the role of the top job has changed dramatically over the last several years.
7. Retailers see slow start to back-to-school season - Friday, August 9, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers are holding off on back-to-school shopping, and those who delay long enough might be rewarded with some steep discounts from desperate retailers.
Revenue at stores open at least a year — an industry measure of a retailer's health— rose 3.8 percent in July, the slowest pace since March, according to a preliminary tally of 10 retailers by the International Council of Shopping Centers. The figure, which excludes drugstores, was below a 5.5 percent increase in June.
8. Shoppers face hurdles in finding ethical clothing - Friday, April 26, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — You can recycle your waste, grow your own food and drive a fuel-efficient car. But being socially responsible isn't so easy when it comes to the clothes on your back.
Take Jason and Alexandra Lawrence of Lyons, Colo. The couple eat locally grown food that doesn't have to be transported from far-flung states. They fill up their diesel-powered Volkswagen and Dodge pickup with vegetable-based oil. They even bring silverware to a nearby coffeehouse to avoid using the shop's plastic utensils.
9. Is home where the profit is for J.C. Penney? - Friday, March 29, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — J.C. Penney is honing in on its home department as part of a bigger plan to turn its stores into mini-malls of sorts.
The struggling department-store chain is unveiling revamped home areas within its stores that feature 20 boutiques that highlight 50 new brands. The areas will include an eclectic mix of items, from $60 Michael Graves' stainless steel teakettles to $1,850 Jonathan Adler "Happy Chic" sofas.
10. Penney's shares plunge after 4Q massive loss - Friday, March 1, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of J.C. Penney Co. plunged nearly 20 percent a day after the department-store chain reported its fourth straight massive quarterly loss.
11. They're back: J. C. Penney adds sales - Friday, January 25, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — J.C. Penney is bringing back sales.
The struggling department store chain this week will begin adding back some of the hundreds of sales it ditched last year in hopes of luring shoppers who were turned off when the discounts disappeared.
12. Penney cuts 600 workers, 13 percent of HQ staff - Friday, April 6, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — Two months into J.C. Penney's transformation, its workers are starting to feel the pain.
The mid-priced department store chain said Thursday that it has laid off 600 workers, or 13 percent of the staff at its headquarters in Plano, Texas, as the company looks to streamline its operations amid a major reinvention of the business.