Retail Stores

Many retail advertisers mistakenly scale back their search campaigns after Christmas, but lots of search traffic and sales occur after Dec. 25. You might be surprised to learn that 9 percent of consumers don’t even begin their holiday shopping until post Christmas.

The estimated gain in U.S. luxury goods sales is outpacing the overall expected 3.5 percent jump in retail sales for 2010, a prominent trade group said.

As many as 138 million U.S. shoppers could be hunting for Black Friday bargains during the three days after Thanksgiving, according to a retail trade group survey released on Thursday.

Consumers were asked three years in a row about what promotions and offers they want for the holidays, and it hasn’t changed much over time. They're focused on sales, discounts and free shipping.

Bailey, Banks & Biddle, which traces its roots back to 1832 in Philadelphia, is being revived. Five stores have already opened in Austin, Houston and Plano, Texas as well as St. Louis and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Warner Bros. Consumer Products and retail partner Hot Topic are launching dedicated in-store boutiques with exclusive merchandise inspired by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Gap (NYSE:GPS) gained more than 6% after posting stronger-than-expected third-quarter revenue, driven in part by October sales and international demand. The San Francisco-based retailer reported third-quarter revenue of $3.65 billion, up 2% from $3.59 billion a year ago, beating the Street’s view of $3.56 billion. Comparable store sales for the three-month period ended Oct. 31 were flat. Gap said international demand, up 3% in comparable store sales from a 6% decline last year, led the identical store sales, with Gap North America up 1% from a 7% drop last year

U.S. retailers are poised to report their weakest monthly sales gains in six months as unseasonably warm weather and fewer shopping events hurt demand for fall merchandise in a slowly recovering U.S. economy.