Retail Industry

SACRAMENTO -- Faced with a likely veto by the governor, a state lawmaker agreed Wednesday to postpone a bill that would impose a controversial container fee at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach aimed at easing congestion and air pollution. State Sen. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) agreed with Gov.

Black Friday shoppers headed to their laptops, tablet computers and mobile phones to scoop up deals. On the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally the kickoff to the holiday shopping season, online sales jumped 20.7% over last year, according to study from IBM. That beat the 17.4% growth over Thanksgiving in Web sales. That reflects a trend that has swept through the retail industry as shoppers increasingly go online to find the best bargains and deals, forcing traditional brick-and-mortar retailers to adapt in in order to retain customers.

CHICAGO — Maxine Lauer calls the group of consumers 15 to 34 "Generation Now" because they want what they want and they want it now. Trouble is, "now" isn't happening for them, especially for those in the middle of that range, their 20s, who might reasonably be expected to be thinking about buying their first homes. Generally, though, that's not something they're doing, because most of them just can't, said Lauer, whose Sphere Trending retail industry consulting firm in Waterford, Mich., has studied their attitudes in depth.

Upset by more store openings on Thanksgiving Day, shoppers and retail employees are stepping up efforts to get big chains to back off. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has long been considered the start of the holiday shopping season, with retailers offering big discounts and early-morning deals to attract hordes of shoppers. But opening times have been drifting earlier. Chains such as Wal-Mart and Sears have announced plans for Black Friday events this year starting as early as 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day. Frustrated workers and customers say they are unhappy about cutting their family Thanksgiving dinners short.

When Hinshaw's opened its doors Friday, the Arcadia retailer promoted its bargains with placards that have become signs of the times for more and more privately owned department stores--"Going Out of Business Sale." Large crowds milled in the aisles hunting for bargains. Long lines stretched from the cash registers. And the store's renowned service was slowed by the crush of shoppers, said Alvira Yates, a Hinshaw's devotee who will miss the local landmark.

The store-closing signs that promised 70% off women's apparel at the Fashion Bug store in the Garden Grove Promenade drew Margie Erickson in for a look around. But Erickson ended her quick visit by doing what shoppers increasingly have been doing at junior women's apparel stores: She walked out without making a purchase. "It's a nice store and everything, but they just don't have anything for me," said Erickson, 57, a longtime Garden Grove resident.

* Federated Department Stores Inc. said it will hire closely held Service Resources Inc. of Atlanta to manage its 450 retail properties, cutting costs by about $25 million a year. Federated, which owns the Bloomingdale's and Macy's chains, among others, said the outsourcing agreement is the largest in the U.S. retail industry. Federated will cut 1,300 people from its payroll but expects Service Resources will rehire most of them by the fall.

Gem Business Brisk: While the retail industry is stuck in the doldrums, one Newport Beach jewelry store says its sales are so brisk--up 25% from a year ago--that it is moving to larger quarters. Traditional Jewelers, hoping to capitalize on those gains, has moved from the Newport Hills Shopping Center to Fashion Island. One special service that the store provides its customers is full-color artist's renderings of custom-designed jewelry.

The retail industry's four-month winning streak was broken in June as consumers slowed their spending. The big retail companies, which released their monthly sales figures Thursday, reported mixed results. "There was a little bit of sluggishness, kind of hard to quantify," said Jeffrey Edelman, a retail industry analyst with Deutsche Morgan Grenfell. "Discount stores did better than other stores because of the seasonality" of merchandise such as lawn and garden equipment, he said.

The farm industry wants an increase of legal workers for agriculture. The conference of Southwest border governors wants more work visas for the hotel/restaurant, construction and landscaping industries (Sept. 11). The high-tech industry is lobbying Congress to increase work visas for work in higher-skilled positions. Who's next? The retail industry has been having a hard time filling positions and the medical industry is expected to boom with the aging of the baby boomers. It's too bad the profit margins required do not allow for decent wages and benefits, or contributions to education in their country or community.

A staffing stumble byApple Inc.'s new head of retail stores has led the company to issue a rare apology and backtrack on cutting workers' hours. The mea culpa came after widespread speculation arose that the technology stalwart, known for its sleek retail stores and eager employees, had laid off or severely cut the hours of some workers as part of a new store staffing plan put in place by John Browett, who became Apple's senior vice president of...

Consumers anxious about the economy kept their wallets in check, raising worries of a possible slowdown in spending during the crucialback-to-schoolshopping season that begins later this month. Major retailers posted a sales gain of just 0.1% in June, the worst monthly showing since August 2009. The sales numbers disappointed retail analysts, many of whom expected sales to rise about half a percent, according to Thomson Reuters' survey of 20 retail chains. Some analysts warned that the coming months could spell more bad news for retailers if a gyrating stock market and weak economic indicators continue to damp spending.

Shoppers cautiously hit the malls to refresh their wardrobes in May, but slower job gains and flagging consumer confidence is raising some concerns about whether a crimp in spending might be coming this summer. "Spending is up a little, and we know consumers are putting a little bit more on their credit cards," said Judith Russell, editor of the Robin Report, a retail industry publication. "The job market has stabilized, but unemployment is still in most cases too high," forcing shoppers to remain careful about unnecessary purchases.

CHICAGO — Maxine Lauer calls the group of consumers 15 to 34 "Generation Now" because they want what they want and they want it now. Trouble is, "now" isn't happening for them, especially for those in the middle of that range, their 20s, who might reasonably be expected to be thinking about buying their first homes. Generally, though, that's not something they're doing, because most of them just can't, said Lauer, whose Sphere Trending retail industry consulting firm in Waterford, Mich., has studied their attitudes in depth.

Shoppers appeared more cautious about spending in April as cold weather and fresh concerns about the economy curbed people's urge to shop, prompting worries about a possible slowdown in spending in the summer months. Weak April sales reported by major retailers and jitters about U.S. unemployment data helped push the stock market down Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrial average falling 61.98 points, or 0.47%, to 13,206.59. Retail analysts remained cautiously positive about the coming months, but warned that more bad news about the economy could further dampen consumer spending.

Shoppers hit the malls in March and provided a boost for the nation's retailers, a sign of a recovering consumer economy and job market — despite the pinch of rising gasoline prices. Major chain stores posted a healthy 4.3% sales increase in March compared with the same month a year earlier, beating analysts' expectations of a more modest 3.5% rise, according to Thomson Reuters' tally of 20 retailers. "We are seeing more consistent performance of U.S. jobs and more stabilization of wages," said Laura Gurski, global head of the retail practice at consulting firm A.T. Kearney.

Retail industry experts and guest speakers will examine economic, financial, political and technological changes affecting the industry at the 26th annual "Retail Game," a daylong seminar Thursday at Century Plaza Hotel in Century City. The event, formerly known as the Shopping Center Game, will be presented by the International Council of Shopping Centers in cooperation with Steve Soboroff and James S. Rosenfield.

Despite high unemployment and volatile global markets, retail sales are estimated to rise a modest 3.4% in the new year, a survey says. That's below the 4.7% growth that the retail industry saw in 2011, according to industry group National Retail Federation, but healthy considering the economic pressures still facing many consumers. “Over the last 18 months, retailers have been on the forefront of the economic recovery - creating jobs, encouraging consumer spending, and investing in America,” said Matthew Shay, the group's chief executive and president.

Shoppers hit the malls in March and provided a boost for the nation's retailers, a good sign for consumer spending this spring despite continuing worries about rising gas prices. Major chain stores posted a healthy 4.3% sales increase in March compared with the same month a year earlier, beating analysts' expectations of a more modest 3.5% rise. Discounters, teen retailers and apparel sellers all posted healthy sales increases, according to Thomson Reuters ' tally of 20 retailers.

Shoppers hit the malls in February with their wallets open and handed retailers a robust start to the spring season amid another sign of a recovering economy. Strong retail sales and other good news about unemployment claims and consumer spending helped push the stock market up Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrial average rising 28 points to 12,980 points. Retail analysts were upbeat about the coming months but cautioned that soaring gasoline prices could potentially damp consumer spending.