Retail Stores

Retail sales in the U.S. fell in May for a second straight month as slower employment and subdued wage gains damped demand, a sign the world’s largest economy is cooling. The 0.2 percent decrease followed a similar decline in April that was previously reported as a gain, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington, D.C. Last month’s drop matched the median forecast of 79 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Sales excluding automobiles slumped by the most in two years. 

A report released by A.T. Kearney showed that Brazil is once again first among developing countries for global retail expansion. A.T. Kearney’s Global Consumer Institute’s 2012 Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) ranks the top 30 developing countries for global retail expansion. Brazil, which topped the list for the second year in a row, was followed by Chile, China, Uruguay and India. Botswana (No. 20) entered the GRDI ranking for the first time, signaling regional growth and the future of Africa as a significant consumer market.

The iconic American retailer J.Crew and Lane Crawford, Asia 's leading designer specialty store, are excited to announce a strategic partnership, providing consumers in Asia with special access to the J.Crew women's and men's collections through Lane Crawford's retail and online stores. 

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Swedish home furnishings chain spent almost four years researching what the names of its products sound like in Thai, lest some of the translations sound a bit, well, crude. And for good reason: Hookway reports that the "Jättebra," a grey plant pot, could sound like slang for sex. So Ikea hired a team of Thai speakers to make sure that when the more than 9,000 items from its catalog are translated from Swedish to Thai, the translations are appropriate. 

Private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners has purchased Things Remembered from Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co. (BRS) and GB Merchant Partners for $295 million. “GBMP and BRS were excellent partners, providing valuable strategic guidance and capital support throughout the investment period,” said Michael Anthony, CEO of Things Remembered, Highland Heights, Ohio, which operates 640 stores in the United States and Canada. “We now look forward to working with Madison Dearborn and benefitting from its expertise, as we remain focused on supporting our customers with the highest service and quality.” 

American Apparel has announced the opening of two new shop-in-shop locations inside two Myer department stores in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. "We're excited to be serving more customers in Sydney and Melbourne face to face via the largest department store in Australia. With these openings, American Apparel is nearly doubling its store base in the country and doing it efficiently with a great and respected partner," said Marsha Brady, a creative director for American Apparel. 

The average person will spend $117.14 on dad’s gifts this year, up 10% from $106.49 last year, closing the gap between its biggest competitor: Mother’s Day (consumers planned to spend an average of $152 on the holiday), according to the National Retail Federation’s 2012 Father’s Day spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight. Total spending for Father’s Day is expected to reach $12.7 billion. According to the survey, more people this year will treat dad to a special outing, such as golfing, eating out or heading to a sporting event ($2.3 billion versus $2.0 billion in 2011). 

For all the concern that the U.S. economy may be slowing, retailers from Express Inc. to Finish Line Inc. are poised to spend the most on capital improvements since the recession.

Loft, a division of Ann Inc. — formerly known as Ann Taylor — will open its first Canadian location at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto, Ontario, in late 2012. "Canada represents a natural step as we move to expand internationally, and we are excited to open our first store outside the U.S. in such a vibrant city like Toronto," said Gary Muto, brand president.

Growing in severity, number and type, retailers are reporting organized retail crime (ORC) has become more troublesome than ever before. Of the 125 retail companies surveyed for NRF’s eighth annual Organized Retail Crime Survey, a record-setting (96.0%) say their company has been the victim of organized retail crime in the past year, up from 94.5 percent last year, and another 87.7 percent say ORC activity in the United States has grown over the past three years.