RETAIL SALES NEWS ON FASTMOVING

Minneapolis -- Target Corp.'s third-quarter net income fell 47%, hurt by costs related to its Canadian expansion. Its adjusted profit beat analysts' estimates, but sales fell short. The retailer lowered its full-year adjusted earnings forecast. read more

Washington - Walmart reported on Thursday a 2.8% year-on-year rise in third-quarter net profit, but warned that sales during the crucial holiday shopping season are expected to be "relatively flat." read more

New York -- Macy’s Herald Square store has taken the wraps off a dramatic makeover of its beauty and fragrances department. Re-fashioned within a brand-new 24,000-sq.-ft. space, the new department includes brand new counters, shops and bars for brows, blow-outs and nails. read more

Johannesburg - Retail sales grew at a sluggish 0.2% in September compared with the same month last year, after expanding by a revised 3.2% in August, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday. read more

Johannesburg - Retailer Mr Price on Tuesday posted interim earnings growth of 22% because of sales growth and said it plans to open over 40 stores in the second half of the year. read more

Johannesburg -Shoprite [JSE:SHP] reported a 10% rise in July-September sales on Monday, helped by a strong showing at its sub-Saharan stores outside its struggling home market. read more

Mr Price Group Ltd. advanced to a record high after the South African clothing and furniture retailer said earnings climbed 18 to 22 percent even as household budgets tightened. read more

Bentonville, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores detailed a number of moves, including opening smaller stores in the United States, cutting back on overseas growth and increasing its investments in technology and e-commerce, on the occasion of the company’s 20th annual investor meeting. read more

IBM reported a 4 percent drop in third-quarter revenue, worse than expected by Wall Street, amid a decline in hardware and emerging markets even as it beat earnings estimates. read more

East African Breweries Limited (EABL) in August said it posted “good results” in the year to June despite tough operating conditions in markets such as Uganda and Tanzania.  read more

On Friday, struggling mobile handset maker BlackBerry reported a loss of $965 million, or $1.84 per share diluted, for the three months ended August 2013, compared with a prior loss of $235 million. read more

Edgars Stores Limited after-tax profit for the 26 weeks ended July 6 was up 17% to $1,1 million, buoyed by growth in revenue.  read more

Cape Town - With consumers buckling under rising food, fuel and electricity prices, the gloves have come off as supermarkets go to war for their share of an already tough market.  read more

The business community has welcomed the release of the census results earlier this month saying they will help them plan their business operations.  read more

New York -- Holiday sales are expected to climb to between $963 and $967 billion, representing a 4% to 4.5% increase in November through January holiday sales (excluding motor vehicles and gasoline) this year from last year’s season, according to the new Deloitte holiday sales forecast. The growth rate is on par with last year's 4.5% gain. read more

Namibians have continued to love the beer bottle with Namibia Breweries Limited (NBL) announcing that overall beer sales volumes on the local market grew at double digits, delivering a 12% growth in the year ended 30 June compared to the previous year.  read more

Johannesburg - South Africa's retail sales grew 2.8 percent year-on-year in July, far below forecasts, but higher than the revised 1.4 percent recorded in June, Statistics South Africa said on Wednesday.  read more

New York – Saks Inc. plans to open seven new Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th stores in 2014: The Outlets at Bloomfield in Pearl, Miss.; Potomac Mills in Woodbridge, Va.; Palm Beach Outlets in West Palm Beach, Fla; Outlet Shoppes at Louisville/Lexington, Ky.; Twin Cities of Eagan in Minneapolis, Minn.; The Mayfair Collection in Mayfair, Wis.; and Easton Gateway in Columbus, Ohio.  read more

Johannesburg - Truworths International Ltd., South Africa’s largest listed clothing retailer, fell the most in three weeks on concern that lending growth is slowing and as monthly retail sales in the continent’s biggest economy shrank. read more

Milan - Prada is seeing green shoots in Europe and feels confident about China, its biggest market, even though sales slowed in the first half, the luxury Italian fashion house said on Tuesday. read more

Johannesburg - Massmart Holdings Inc., the South African supermarket chain owned by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., is leading the country’s index of retailers as it heads for the longest winning streak in nine months. read more

Listed retailer Uchumi Supermarkets has reported a 30.3 per cent rise in full year profit to Sh373.01 million from Sh273.98 million last year. read more

Grocery firm Uchumi Supermarkets at the weekend said it plans to list in Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda bourses in the near future.  read more

TFG (The Foschini Group) produced its highest ever profits in the past year and continued to gain market share, despite the difficult consumer environment, Doug Murray, CEO of TFG (The Foschini Group Limited), told the 76th Annual General Meeting in Parow today (September 2).  read more

Johannesburg - Despite the competitive environment and constrained consumer spending, building material retailer Cashbuild plans to add more than 10 stores in the next financial year.  read more

Johannesburg - Restricting marketing on liquor will have a negative affect on the industry and the economy, the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) said on Monday.  read more

Sefalana Holdings' retail operations swam against the tide of government spending cuts and lower consumer confidence to power the group to its "best ever" financial results, with management ebullient on the 35 percent jump in pre-tax profits to P147 million. read more

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings’ second-quarter loss widened as the company was challenged with store closings, weak sales and deep discounts. Its performance was also impacted by the lingering effects from its spinoff of its Hometown and Outlet Stores banner.  read more

Key highlights - Total sales up 8.9% (R32,369m); 2012: (R29,717m) - Comparable sales up 5.5% - African operations sales up 10.7% - 146 cents dividend per share; 2012: 146 cents  read more

Johannesburg - Shoprite Holdings [JSE:SHP], the largest retailer in Africa, said on Tuesday it plans to open 171 new stores by June 2014, including 47 outside its home market.  read more

Johannesburg - Massmart Holdings, the South African unit of Walmart Stores, said on Tuesday its first-half earnings rose by as much as 57%, lifted by favourable exchange rates. read more

According to recent retail data from Statistics SA, the furniture sector was the only decliner in May, suggesting that Ellerines is not the only furniture retailer in trouble. Furniture sales were down 2.5 percent that month. read more

San Jose, Calif. -- Retailers are cautiously optimistic about the 2013 holiday season, with 60% forecasting revenue growth in excess of 10%, in line with industry forecasts, according to a survey by Baynote, a provider of personalized customer experience solutions. read more

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market reported that its net income in the third quarter increased 21% to $142 million, better than analysts had expected. The company also sounded a bullish note about expansion. read more

Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE)-listed retail group OK Zimbabwe Limited has recorded a 5,1% increase in revenue to $123,1 million for the three months ending June 30, 2013, driven by cost-cutting measures and branch network expansion. read more

Shares of Truworths tumbled more than 7 percent yesterday after the retailer warned profit growth would miss expectations, as debt-laden customers slowed their spending.  read more

Johannesburg - Woolworths Holdings gained the most in a week after reporting an acceleration in full-year sales. read more

London - Unilever has become more cautious about prospects for emerging markets, a big growth driver for the consumer goods company, which reported underlying second-quarter sales growth shy of market expectations. read more

On Carrefour’s second-quarter results, Gildas Aitamer, Retail Analyst at Planet Retail, commented:  read more

London - John Lewis, Britain's biggest department store firm, has blamed Andy Murray's Wimbledon triumph, the first Ashes test in cricket and a heat wave for keeping shoppers out of its stores last week.  read more

Retail sales shot up in May after April’s growth was the lowest since 2009, but analysts cautioned yesterday that the growth was not sustainable in light of the realities of strikes and sluggish gross domestic product growth. read more

Johannesburg - Africa's biggest grocer Shoprite [JSE:SHP] Holdings missed estimates with a 12.1% rise in full-year sales, reflecting a slowdown in spending that sent its shares sharply down on the Johannesburg bourse on Tuesday. read more

Microsoft is cutting the price of its Surface RT tablet by as much as 30 percent as the device struggles to lure customers.  read more

Johannesburg - Massmart, South Africa’s biggest food and goods wholesaler, said sales growth slowed during the first half of the year amid a downturn in consumer spending. read more

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens on Wednesday reported June sales of $5.79 billion, an increase of 2.5% from the year-ago period.  read more

London - A former chairman of Tesco, the world's No.3 retailer, said that restoring the store group's fortunes could take up to three years and appealed to investors to give Chief Executive Phil Clarke sufficient time. read more

Shares in Samsung Electronics Co Ltd slumped 3 percent to nine-month lows on Wednesday, as investors braced for weaker-than-expected earnings from the smartphone maker for the April-to-June period.  read more

New York – Improvements in real home prices, initial unemployment claims and real wages drove an increase in the Deloitte Consumer Spending Index last month.  read more

Harare – Zimbabwe’s leading grocer OK Zimbabwe, whose revenues for the year to March 31 surged 16.3% to US$479.6m, is planning to open two new stores and modernise five others during the current year. read more

J Sainsbury Plc (SBRY), the U.K.’s third-largest supermarket chain, reported a 34th successive quarter of same-store sales growth as the grocer increased its share of the market while its main competitors all lost ground.  read more

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc. reported a 27% drop in first-quarter earnings amid a cool spring throughout much of the country and rising costs. But the company, a spinoff from Sears Holdings Corp., pointed to improving signs in late spring. read more

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General reported record net income and sales during for the first quarter, but still reduced the top end of its profit forecast due to moderating same-store sales.  read more

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart is launching an initiative to increase the amount of fresh produce on its shelves. The effort includes buying produce directly from growers for immediate shipment to stores, performing independent weekly fresh produce checks at stores and providing fresh produce training for associates.  read more

Johannesburg - Unlisted retailer Edcon on Tuesday reported a 3.1% increase in total revenues to R26.7bn for the year ended March 2013‚ while retail sales increased by 2% to R25.2bn. read more

London - Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco , is expected to slip back to an underlying sales decline when it publishes first-quarter trading figures on Wednesday, raising doubts about a costly recovery plan for its home market. read more

Johannesburg - The Foschini Group, South Africa's No.3 listed clothing retailer, missed estimates with an 11 percent rise in full-year profit as debt-laden consumers cut back on spending. read more

Issaquah, Wash. -- Costco Corp. reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended May 12 increased a higher-than-expected 19% on increased sales and member fees. The wholesale club operator earned $459 million in the third quarter, up from $386 million in the year-ago period. read more

(Reuters) - Energy drinks maker Monster Beverage Corp's (MNST.O) sales missed analysts' estimates as the industry took a hit from concerns over the health risks of such drinks, sending its shares down 16 percent after the bell. read more

Brussels - SABMiller [JSE:SAB], the world's second biggest brewer, reported profit growth in line with expectations thanks to a surge in earnings in Latin America and Africa and said its markets should be broadly unchanged in the coming months.  read more

Johannesburg - Mr Price Group, extended gains after full-year earnings beat estimates as sales improved at its apparel chain. read more

Minneapolis – Best Buy reported a net loss of almost 10% for first quarter fiscal 2014, seeing its revenue drop from roughly $10.34 billion the prior year to $9.38 billion. Increased price competition and the closure of 49 large-format stores contributed to the electronics retailer’s decline in revenue. A shift in the Super Bowl, which typically drives TV sales, to the prior quarter and reduced non-core sales also impacted revenue. read more

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. reported a deeper-than-expected loss of $348 million for its first quarter, compared to $163 million in the year-ago period, amid a 16.4% decline in revenue. The results came as the company seeks to undo the damage caused by former CEO Ron Johnson’s costly and largely failed makeover.  read more

Spar Group Ltd. (SPP), a South African food and liquor retailer, said first-half profit climbed 12 percent as higher prices countered slower consumer spending. read more

Retailers suffered a 2.2% drop in sales last month compared with a year ago, thanks to the timing of Easter and wintry weather, according to industry figures. read more

Diepkloof Square community centre is reporting strong and growing trade less than six months after opening on 29 November 2012, bringing quality community shopping to this iconic Soweto suburb.  read more

Clicks Group says that its music and entertainment retailer, Musica, performed well in results for the six months ended February 2013, and this despite the net closure of eight stores. read more

Seoul - Samsung on Friday released the latest version of its flagship Galaxy smartphone, as it announced record first quarter profits driven by surging sales growth in its mobile division. read more

London - Asda, Britain's second-biggest grocer, said on Tuesday it would invest over £700m ($1bn) this year in its online operations, new and existing stores and its supply chain, helping to create 2 500 new jobs. read more

As Wal-Mart Stores plotted an African entry strategy, buying Massmart Holdings two years ago was just the right vehicle. With 377 stores across the continent and a strong position in South Africa, Massmart offered the Americans a firm foothold in a fast-growing region. read more

On Casino’s first quarter results, Gildas Aitamer, Retail Analyst at Planet Retail, commented:  read more

Shares of JSE-listed Mr Price gained 3 percent to R118.98 on Wednesday’s early trade after it said figures for the year ended March would be higher than in the previous reporting period. read more

Diageo’s third-quarter sales missed estimates, the biggest distiller reported yesterday, as sluggish European demand and slower-than-expected growth in emerging markets offset expansion in the US.  read more

London -- Grocery chain Fresh & Easy’s British parent Tesco confirmed Wednesday that it will abandon its U.S. business, selling off the 199-store chain and taking a $3.5 billion write-down read more

London - Global brewer SABMiller said on Thursday it had posted a 7 percent rise in full year organic revenue, boosted by strong demand in Africa and a surprisingly robust performance in Europe.  read more

New York - U.S. retail sales fell 0.4% in March, the biggest decrease in nine months, amid a slowdown in hiring and higher taxes. Excluding sales of autos, gas and building materials, core sales dropped 0.2% in March, following a 0.3% increase in January. read more

Nakumatt Holdings Ltd. on Friday said it wants to raise $50 million for its East African expansion. read more

Montreal - Smartphone maker BlackBerry on Friday slammed as "false and misleading" a brokerage research note which claimed consumers were returning the new Z10 handsets at a high rate. read more

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores reported Wednesday that net income for the quarter ended March 2 edged up to $140.1 million, compared with $136.4 million in the year-ago period. read more

Holding $7.33 billion in cash at the end of fiscal 2013, Walmart has many options on how to expand its global reach through acquisitions in Turkey, Colombia and other nations. read more

Johannesburg - SA stocks recovered slightly from last week’s declines on Monday‚ as retailers and industrials led the market higher.  read more

Richardson, Texas -- Samsung Electronics and Best Buy Co. have entered into a partnership to install Samsung in-store shops in more than 1,400 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores across the U.S. beginning this month. read more

Seoul - South Korea's Samsung Electronics said on Friday it expected a sharp increase in first-quarter operating profit to 8.7-trillion won ($7.7-billion), up 52.9 percent from the first three months of 2012. read more

Nigerians Spent $1.2 Billion On 21 Million Mobile Phones In 2012: GFK RT A report by GfK Retail and Technology Nigeria has shown the Nigerian market spent an average of 181 billion naira ($1.2 billion) to purchase 21.5 million mobile phones in 2012. read more

The ban on liquor sales in Cape Town on Sundays is off – for now. read more

A section of Breakwater Boulevard at the V&A Waterfront will be temporarily closed from 8 April 2013 as work starts on a vehicle and pedestrian tunnel that will link basement parking in Victoria Wharf to the Breakwater Parking Garage.  read more

Toronto - BlackBerry announced an unexpected quarterly profit on demand for the new touchscreen device that holds the key to its successful turnaround, but revenue remained far below year-earlier levels.  read more

Sunward Park shopping centre, an upcoming retail centre in Boksburg, today announced that it will open its door in September 2013, and offer Shoppers with festival of fine food and entertainment. read more

Plano, Texas -- A Tuesday report by Reuters said that embattled J.C. Penney Co. has recently revived its previously abandoned pricing strategy of raising prices on its own brands then discounting them as a way to spike sales and margins.  read more

Taipei - Taiwan's HTC on Sunday announced its much-anticipated new flagship smartphone will go on sale in three countries this week, although the rollout elsewhere will only take place by the end of April. read more

Johannesburg - The Gauteng Economic Development Department says it will follow popular will on the proposed total ban on the sale of alcohol on Sundays. read more

Zurich - Swiss luxury chocolate maker Lindt & Spruengli said it was confident people would keep buying its sweet treats this year despite weak consumer sentiment in its key market, Europe.  read more

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 23 – Nakumatt Holdings says it has attained its midterm corporate expansion goal, with the opening of its 40th branch in Thika town. read more

Johannesburg - Furniture manufacturer and retailer Steinhoff International Holdings [JSE:SHF] is unlikely to expand in South America for at least another year and will instead focus on expanding its operations in Europe, according to CEO Markus Jooste.  read more

Johannesburg - Truworths International Ltd. led a decline in South Africa’s consumer stocks, which fell the most in a month as spending contracted for the first time since 2009. read more

Johannesburg - Clicks climbed the most in almost seven months as food and drug retailers continued to recover from an early-year slump driven by slower consumer spending. read more

Frankfurt - German sportswear and equipment maker Adidas said that one-off writedowns hit its bottom line in 2012, but underlying profits increased due to higher sales. read more

Johannesburg - South African furniture maker and retailer Steinhoff International reported a 5 percent rise in first-half profit on Tuesday as the weaker rand currency helped offset slack consumer demand.  read more

Massmart delivered strong total sales for the six months to December 2012 which increased by 14.7% to R36,122.6 million. After adjusting for foreign exchange movements and Walmart transaction costs, including the R140m additional Supplier Development Fund charge related to the Competition Appeal Court ruling, headline earnings increased by 5.8% and operating profit by 6.1%.  read more

Johannesburg - JD Group, a South African furniture retailer and financial services provider, said high unemployment and an oversupply of unsecured lending is causing consumers to spend less on durable goods. read more

Denmark - Lego's sales soared 25% last year thanks in part to its new series of building blocks designed for girls. read more