Ahead of the Bell: Retail Sales
from The Associated Press via Forbes
Retail sales likely rose in May after falling for two straight months, amid signs that the worst of the recession may have passed.Wall Street economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect retail sales increased 0.5 percent in May, compared with declines of 0.4 percent in April and 1.1 percent in March. More

Better Stores Bring Better Sales at Giant
from The Baltimore Sun
Rosemary Mountain, 45, had been making the 30-minute trek from Baltimore to shop at mega-grocer Wegmans in Hunt Valley until she noticed some changes at her local Giant Food grocery. The store was brighter and the aisles wider. The selection was much better, especially the larger organic foods section, she said. And the store had new gadgets that enabled her to scan her groceries as she shopped. She thinks Wegman's prices are better, but is shopping at Giant more. More

Gap Will Remodel 50 Old Navy Stores
from The Associated Press via Forbes
Gap Inc. said it plans to remodel 50 Old Navy stores in 2009, part of an effort to gain market share in its core brands. Gap has faced slumping sales, but it repositioned its value-oriented Old Navy chain earlier this year and results at that chain have improved. More

As Sales Get Pinched, CEOs' Belts Get Cinched
from STORES magazine
Retail sales aren’t the only figures that have taken a hit from the recession. The paychecks of many industry CEOs are demonstrably lighter as the result of the financial downturn. More

Can Wal-Mart Be Sustainable? Ask Patagonia Founder Yvon Chouinard
from Fast Company
Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard stopped by the Fast Company HQ recently with his longtime friend and travel partner Tom Brokaw to talk about sustainable business. It's a subject he knows well, thanks to his years of innovation at Patagonia as well as his experience founding the organization One Percent for the Planet, an alliance of companies that pledge to donate 1 percent of revenues to environmental charities. Amid diversions about his adventures around the world, Chouinard talked about everything from how to make recyclable high-performance underwear to what he tells us is his unlikeliest ally: Wal-Mart. More

A Deep Dive into Digital Signage Deployment
from Integrated Solutions for Retailers
This month's retail solutions forum is focused on the deployment of digital signage in retail. It's a timely article on a topic that generates regular requests for more information. The retail digital media deployment landscape is uncharted territory where best practices among retailers are hard to find. Our subject matter expert is Dick Trask, VP of marketing for digital media deployment specialists Starmount Systems. More

U.S. Study: Organized Theft Up Against Retailers
from Reuters
More than 9-of-10 U.S. retailers say they have had merchandise stolen by well-organized crime rings, according to a new report from a leading trade group. The National Retail Federation said 92 percent of retailers said they had been a victim of organized crime over the past year, up from 84 percent in last year's survey. More

Back-to-School: Test of Economy's Strength
from CNN Money
While some kids are still counting the days until the end of this school year, retail experts are looking ahead to the back-to-school shopping ritual as the first real test of whether the economy is recovering. "In a recession, the consumer is generally the last one to leave the economy and the first one back," said Marshal Cohen, chief retail analyst with research firm NPD Group. More

Report: Water to Rival Energy Efficiency as Key Concern in Greening Buildings
from Greener Buildings
Managing water use is becoming increasingly important to commercial property owners, contractors, architects and engineers with 85 percent of the industry saying that within four years water efficiency will be considered an extremely important aspect of green building design, construction and related products, according a recent survey by McGraw-Hill Construction. More

Gas Prices Drive U.S. Retail Sales Up
from The New York Times
Rising prices at the gasoline pump drove retail sales higher in May, the government reported, but consumers were also spending more at car dealerships, grocery stores and clothing shops. The Commerce Department reported that retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent in May from a month earlier, after falling the two previous months. The monthly increase indicated that consumer spending is creeping higher as gas prices rise and the economy’s declines begin to level off. More

Kohl's Takes on New Look
from The State Journal-Register
The Kohl's department store in Springfield, Ill., is among more than 50 stores nationwide to take on a new look — and sound — in the chase for a multi-media generation of shoppers. It isn’t the first makeover for the Wisconsin-based chain during 27 years in Springfield. But company executives say it is based on a shift in shopper demographics, right down to a generational preference for fashionable concrete over carpet. More

Retailers See Web offsetting Spending Slump
from Reuters
Retailers who scoffed at the web during the flush days of consumer spending are now diving head first into online initiatives, lured by that channel's resilience in the downturn. More resources are pouring into retailers' Web operations, and brands from Juicy Couture to Louis Vuitton are at the forefront of digital measures to drive sales, whether through Facebook pages, Twitter feeds announcing new merchandise or online communities, according to speakers at the Reuters Global Luxury and Retail Summits. More