Victoria's Secret

New York City -- Despite low consumer confidence, the volatile economy and a hurricane, many retailers reported better-than-expected sales in August. Hurricane Irene appeared to put a dent in the results of some retailers on the East Coast, but the storm did not appear to do as serious damage as some expected. Total retail sales rose 4.4%, just missing the 4.6% rise that Wall Street analysts had expected, according to Thomson Reuters. Of the 19 out of the 25 retailers that Thomson Reuters tracks, 11 beat expectations. The biggest winners include Costco Wholesale Club, with an 11% rise in

Deep discounts and the warmest July weather in decades brought U.S. shoppers to malls, helping many retail chains report healthy monthly sales increases at established stores. July figures provide an early read on consumer demand in the U.S. economy at the start of the back-to-school season, the second-biggest selling period of the year after Christmas. Warehouse club Costco and teen apparel chain Hot Topic posted some of the biggest gains so far. Costco Wholesale Corp reported a 10 percent rise in total July sales at stores open at least a year, beating the analysts' average estimate of an

U.S. retailers' same-store sales in April surpassed analysts’ estimates, led by Limited Brands and Macy’s. This indiactes that consumers gained confidence in the U.S. economy’s recovery.

White House | Black Market, a division of Chico's FAS, has announced that Liz Edmiston, has been named senior vice president, general merchandise manager for White House | Black Market.

The NFL is going from the gridiron to the runway with fashion advice to help female fans wear their team colors everywhere from tailgates to posh nightclubs. The league has thousands of new products including jeans with logos on the back pockets, flip-flops and yoga mats for women this year. It's pairing up with shops such as Victoria's Secret and Destination Maternity to sell the new products this fall in 3,000 new stores.

Bedbugs — nocturnal, bloodsucking insects about the size of an apple seed and notoriously tough to eradicate — are taking a bite out of Manhattan business this summer. The bugs may be little, but their effect can be big, from damaging a brand's image, to sparking major changes in retailers' return policies, to requiring frequent pest-control checkups that can cost thousands of dollars a visit.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Limited Brands, Inc. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20020520/CLM001LOGO ) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20020520/CLM001LOGO ) The company reported a comparable store sales increase of 8 percent for the 22 weeks ended July 3, 2010, compared to the 22 weeks ended July 4, 2009. The company reported net sales of $3.554 billion for the 22 weeks ended July 3, 2010, compared to sales of $3.236 billion last year. To hear further commentary provided on Limited Brands' prerecorded June sales message, call 1-866-639-7583 (1-866-NEWS-LTD), or log onto www. Limitedbrands.com for an audio replay. ABOUT LIMITED BRANDS: Limited Brands, through Victoria's Secret,

Victoria's Secret anticipates its inventory levels will be down in the low- to mid-single digits this quarter, and plans to throttle back on its discounting-based promotional activity, as it won’t need to clear merchandise out. As a result, the direct aspect of the company’s semiannual sale will be shortened by five days. Its retail element will not be affected during the semiannual sale, but its Memorial Day sale will be shorter and smaller. This doesn’t mean the company is pulling back on promotions, period. In fact, it's publishing a new catalog exclusively focusing on the Victoria’s Secret Pink line, which will be published to take advantage of back-to-school shopping.

Brands aren't trying to influence a person; they're trying to influence the mind. They take the time to study how the mind functions, makes decisions and how it can be most predictably influenced. Brands aren't trying to meet people's needs. Rather, they're trying to meet their wants. You must understand consumers’ wants in order to influence them to your way of thinking.

Victoria's Secret Online, Offline Coupons Draw Shoppers; Target Catalog Goes Back to School