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GameStop plans to close 200 stores by next year, Bloomberg reported. The closings were announced on a conference call, shortly after the chain reported better-than expected third-quarter results, excluding an impairment charge. For the third quarter ended Oct. 27, GameStop posted a net loss of $624.3 million after impairment and goodwill costs of $678.8 million, mostly tied to international operations. That's compared with net income of $53.9 million a year earlier.

The oft-cited and much-dreaded sport of comparison shopping in-store via smartphone (aka showrooming) is only one of many mobile activities consumers perform on their devices in Aisle 3, and it's likely overrated, says a new study from Vibes. In fact, hyperfocusing on this one feared aspect of the mobile shopping experience can distract marketers from all of the ways they can engage the connected floorwalker.

Despite the hype surrounding Black Friday, less than one-fifth (19 percent) of consumers definitely plan to hit the stores that day, according to the second annual PeriscopeIQ Retail Intelligence Survey. Additionally, consumers nationwide report that they'll spend less on holiday shopping this year in overall expenditures, in amount spent per gift and with fewer gifts given, indicating weaker holiday sales.

New survey findings from Harris Interactive and commissioned by IDR Marketing Partners reveals about two in five Americans are very to extremely likely to purchase more often from a shopping website after receiving a free gift. The survey found that online retailers benefit from including an unexpected offer or free gift sample with each customer order. Americans are more likely to purchase regularly from the online retailer, as well as share their positive experience online and offline.

City of Industry, Calif. -- Hot Topic Inc. reported Wednesday that profit for the third quarter jumped 38% to $4.3 million, from $3.1 million in the year-ago quarter. Revenue edged up 2% to $179.4 million from $175.8 million, missing Wall Street’s...

Columbus, Ohio -- Limited Brands Inc. reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Oct. 27 dropped to $73.4 million from $94.3 million in the same quarter last year. Results still managed to beat Wall Street expectations. Limited, which also...

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 5.9 percent in November despite the temporary closure of some ports by super-storm Sandy, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the...

In a surprising twist, older consumers plan on doing more shopping online this holiday season than younger consumers, according to a new study of consumer holiday online shopping plans from Velaro, a provider of live chat software. In addition, lower-middle class households plan on doing the most online shopping. In a survey of 10,012 consumers, 53 percent of respondents plan on doing at least 25 percent of their holiday shopping online with the older demographic (ages 55-64) planning on doing the most holiday shopping on the web.

According to a National Retail Federation (NRF) survey conducted by BIGresearch, up to 147 million people plan to shop during Black Friday weekend (Nov. 23-25). Specifically, 71 million said they would shop, and another 76 million said they would wait and...

Retailers are shifting their holiday promotions up earlier each year, and the buzz has moved progressively from Cyber Monday to Black Friday and finally to Thanksgiving Day itself, with reports of mass merchants beginning their sales in the middle of what is for many still an important family holiday. Is this a bridge too far? An October survey from credit card comparison and financial education website CreditDonkey.com found that 41 percent of U.S. consumers planned to shop on Black Friday this year, compared to 57 percent who said they would shop a few days later on Cyber Monday.