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A report released Friday by ShopperTrak found that total GAFO (general merchandise, apparel, furniture, sporting goods, electronics, hobby, books and other related store sales) retail sales for back-to-school 2010 -- the month of August -- rose 3.7%, while the company’s Retail Traffic Index reported total U.S. foot traffic was flat for the same period as compared with last year.ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate determined that both sales and traffic finished above the its forecast of a 3.5% sales rise and 1.4% traffic decline as pent-up demand and favorable weather boosted sales throughout the back-to-school season.“Retailers should be pleased with

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES Toys 'R' Us Inc.

Toys “R” Us announced Thursday that it will open 600 temporary pop-up stores in malls and shopping centers around the United States in time for the 2010 holiday season.The toy retailer, which has been working on the plan since last year and opened 90 of the stand-alone temp stores last holiday season, is taking advantage of vacant spaces left behind by defunct chains such as KB Toys to aggressively drive holiday purchases."We've been very aggressive during the economic downturn, and this is another aggressive action," CEO Jerry Storch said. "During the holiday season, mall traffic ramps up, and this

Talbots said it returned to profitability in the second quarter, but sales fell because the company kept the line on prices to a large degree. While the recession has made it common to deeply discount, "We did not react to what became a very aggressive promotional environment," Chief Executive Trudy Sullivan said. Instead, Talbots went after margin growth — or getting the most return on the dollars it did take in — and continued to balance cost cutting with rebuilding efforts.

Furniture and fashion chain Laura Ashley has reported a rise in pre-tax profit of around 1,000 per cent in the half year ended 31 July. The group said that pre-tax profits rose from £1.1 million in the same period last year to £10.5 million this year. Total sales increased by 5.7 per cent to £127.8 million. During the period the group re-launched its website, which led to an increase in online revenue of 63 per cent. In total 12 per cent of Laura Ashley sales are conducted online, up from seven per cent in the whole of last

Wauwatosa spice retailer Penzeys Spices has opened four retail stores in 2010 and plans to open several more by the end of the year. Penzeys spokeswoman Margie Gibbons and retail experts said the increased focus on home cooking in recent years and Penzeys unique retail atmosphere have helped the company grow despite the recession. Our focus always is on helping the home cook, and I think that has a lot to do with the success right now, Gibbons said. People in general are focused more on the home and family right now. I dont think thats uncommon when the

QVC will open a temporary store in the heart of Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center on Sept. 12, in conjunction with the kick-off of Fashion’s Night Out event. The interactive, multimedia shopping experience will continue throughout Fashion Week. The shop will feature some of QVC's most exciting brands, and products ranging from fashion, beauty and jewelry to home and electronics. Each product showcased will feature a Microsoft Tag, which shoppers can scan with any Smartphone to be linked to the item page on the QVC mobile website.The live broadcast will stream continually and the QVC website will be accessible at computer

Most major American retailers plan to hire the same number of temporary holiday workers as last year, according to a survey by a top industry consultant, underscoring that store chains continue to view the coming season with caution. Still, the annual Hay Group survey found that more than one-fifth of respondents expected to hire more seasonal help than in 2009, a sign that store chains aren't expecting shoppers to hibernate this winter, even if they fail to fully resume free-spending ways.

Barneys New York created a catalog for the digital age in August, with Barneysmag.com, an enhanced online catalog that features video, 3-D images and streaming music designed to sell more of its newest line of denim apparel. The company reports that some customers are spending up to 20 minutes viewing the catalog, which links directly to the featured styles for sale.

Wal-Mart Stores will remain without a chief merchandising officer for its U.S. stores for the time being. Instead, the chain has named four new product heads to take over that responsibility, according to a Reuters report. In a Sept. 3 memo to employees, Bill Simon, chief executive of the U.S. division, outlined four merchandising areas -- general merchandise and replenishment; food; softlines; and a group that includes consumables, health and wellness and walmart.com -- to be led by "seasoned merchants."Wal-Mart’s previous head of merchandising was John Fleming, who left the company as of Aug. 1.