NEW YORK (AP) — Don't let the global economy fool you: Luxury is hardly dead.
Saks Inc. agreed to sell itself to Hudson's Bay Co., the Canadian parent of upscale retailer Lord & Taylor, for about $2.4 billion in a deal that will bring luxury to more North American locales.
17. Stocks decline as a busy week for markets begins - Friday, July 26, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — Three days before the end of the month, a blistering rally in stocks appears to be fading.
The stock market edged lower Monday as investors waited for a series of big economic reports due out this week. A string of big-name merger deals wasn't enough to push indexes higher.
18. Gov. Haslam struggles to meet Pilot recusal pledge - Friday, July 5, 2013
NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam has struggled almost from the start of his administration to fulfill a campaign pledge to avoid handling matters relating to Pilot Flying J, the family-owned truck stop chain run by his brother, Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam.
19. Stocks fall on news Fed weighed cutting stimulus - Friday, May 17, 2013
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell in afternoon trading Wednesday on news that several Federal Reserve policymakers in a meeting earlier this month favored cutting back on stimulus programs as early as June if the economy continued to improve.
The release of minutes of the April 30-May 1 meeting reversed a surge earlier in the day on hopes that the Fed was a long way from stopping its stimulus efforts.
20. Gov. Haslam's former boss to oversee Pilot probe - Friday, April 26, 2013
NASHVILLE (AP) — Brad Martin, the newly appointed interim president of the University of Memphis who once hired Gov. Bill Haslam as an executive at Saks Inc., was named Wednesday by Pilot Flying J to oversee an internal investigation into FBI allegations of fraudulent business practices involving rebates to trucking customers.
21. Discounts abound as stores try to salvage season - Friday, December 14, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — When it comes to fat holiday discounts, better late than never.
This holiday shopping season, many stores haven't been offering the same blockbuster deals as they have in years past. Instead, they've dangled offers of free shipping and no-fee layaways to lure shoppers.
22. Stocks end lower after a strong week - Friday, November 23, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street came back to work after the Thanksgiving weekend and faced leftover worries about the "fiscal cliff" and the European debt crisis. Stocks retreated after one of their best weeks of the year.
23. Storm's cost may hit $50B; rebuilding to ease blow - Friday, October 26, 2012
WASHINGTON (AP) — Superstorm Sandy will end up causing about $20 billion in property damages and $10 billion to $30 billion more in lost business, according to IHS Global Insight, a forecasting firm.
24. The noisiest shareholder activist takes a break - Friday, July 13, 2012
Evelyn Y. Davis is the world's most famous shareholder activist. She's also the most outspoken, the most outrageous, the most intelligent, the most confident, the most charming.
Just ask her.
25. After weak June, retailers to sweat out summer - Friday, July 6, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers could be sweating it out this summer.
Shoppers, worried about jobs and the economy, pulled back on spending in June, slowing sales for most retailers to the weakest pace since 2009. And that could leave merchants on edge, wondering if Americans will spend more when the back-to-school season starts in late July.
26. Retailers report tepid sales for June - Friday, June 29, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers, worried about jobs and the overall economy, pulled back on spending in June, resulting in tepid sales results for many retailers.
The reports raise concerns about Americans' ability to spend during the back-to-school shopping season, which starts later this month.
27. Retailers report positive March sales - Friday, April 6, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers from discounter Target to department-store chain Macy's reported better-than-expected sales in March in the latest sign that Americans are feeling better about the economy.
28. Dow breaks 13,000 but can't hold gains - Friday, February 17, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — It came and went in a flash each time, a number on a board for mere seconds, but its symbolic power couldn't be dismissed.
The Dow Jones industrial average, powered higher all year by optimism that the economic recovery is finally for real, crossed 13,000 on Tuesday for the first time since May 2008.
29. Retailers deliver solid sales gains for January - Friday, February 3, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — Americans were shopping in January, but not every store was feeling the love.
Retailers reported mixed sales results for the month in a sign that U.S. consumers continue to be cautious about when and where they spend their money in the shaky economy
30. Holiday discounts crimp retailers' profits - Friday, January 6, 2012
NEW YORK (AP) — The 2011 holiday shopping season will go down in the record books as the year the Grinch stole stores' profits.
Many retailers sacrificed their bottom lines by pushing heavy discounts to shoppers bent on getting a good deal in a challenging economy. That created a sharp divide between stores that won the battle for wallets, and those that didn't.
31. Holiday discounts crimp retailers' profits - Friday, December 30, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — Many retailers delivered solid sales gains for December, but heavy discounts needed to get shoppers to buy exacted a high price, clouding the holiday shopping season.
Merchants had to mark down coats and other gifts to get shoppers to buy in a challenging economy. A mild start to winter also didn't help, wilting shoppers' appetite for cold-weather merchandise. That resulted in a string of retailers reducing their earnings outlooks.
32. Retailers report solid finale to holidays - Friday, December 30, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — Many retailers are reporting solid sales gains for December, capping a decent holiday season, but shoppers bent on discounts exacted a high price.
Merchants had to mark down coats and other gifts to get shoppers to buy in a challenging economy. A mild winter also didn't help, wilting shoppers' appetite for cold-weather merchandise. That resulted in a string of retailers, including Target Corp., Kohl's Corp., J.C. Penney Co. and The Children's Place Retail Stores Inc., reducing their earnings outlooks.
33. AP Interview: Haslam reflects on 1st year - Friday, December 9, 2011
NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam took on teachers and lawyers to win battles to toughen tenure and cap lawsuit damages since his January inauguration, but he didn't have as much success uprooting Occupy protesters.
34. Retailers report solid gains for September - Friday, October 7, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — September offered the latest sign that Americans will shop, but only when they think they're getting a deal.
The International Council of Shopping Centers said Thursday that revenue rose 5.5 percent in September, with several retailers including Target, Limited Brands and Kohl's posting strong gains as consumers snagged discounted merchandise.
35. Retailers report solid gains for September - Friday, September 30, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — September offered the latest sign that Americans will shop, but only when they think they're getting a deal.
The International Council of Shopping Centers said Thursday that revenue rose 5.5 percent in September, with several retailers including Target, Limited Brands and Kohl's posting strong gains as consumers snagged discounted merchandise.
36. In the US, two housing markets and two directions - Friday, September 16, 2011
In America, it's starting to feel as if there are two housing markets. One for the rich and one for everyone else.
Consider foreclosure-ravaged Detroit. In the historic Green Acres district, a haven for hipsters, a pristine, three-bedroom brick Tudor recently sold for $6,000 — about what a buyer would have paid during the Great Depression.
37. Economy shows signs of moving past August shocks - Friday, August 26, 2011
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers and businesses are not so worried that the economy is about to tumble into a recession after all.
Manufacturing grew a little slower in August than the previous month, but it didn't contract as some had feared. Shoppers spent more at retail stores during the crucial back-to-school season. And fewer people applied for unemployment benefits last week, a sign that layoffs have slowed.
38. Retail sales rose 0.5 percent in July - Friday, August 12, 2011
WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumers spent more on autos, furniture, clothing and gas in July, pushing up retail sales by the largest amount in four months. The gain signaled that Americans are a little more confident in the economy and could helped dispel fears that the country is headed for another recession.
39. Retailers report solid sales gains for July - Friday, August 5, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — The back-to-school season got off to a strong start as discounts and high temperatures in July drove shoppers to air-conditioned malls. But merchants worry that momentum won't continue through the remainder of the second-biggest shopping period of the year as the weather gets cold and the deals dry up.
40. Retailers report solid sales gains for July - Friday, July 29, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — Many retailers posted solid sales during the kickoff to the back-to-school season as deep discounts and sweltering heat in July drove shoppers to air conditioned malls. But merchants worry that momentum won't continue throughout the remainder of the second-biggest shopping period of the year.
41. US retailers post strong June sales - Friday, July 8, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — American consumers who were enticed by warmer weather and deep discounts of up to 80 percent on summer merchandise went on a buying binge in June, helping many retailers deliver the most robust revenue gains for that month since 1999.
42. Opry Mills’ decision to rebuild seen as good sign for retail - Friday, July 8, 2011
When the May 2010 floodwaters receded, Nashville set about rebuilding downtown landmarks and emptying sodden basements. But out on Briley Parkway, Opry Mills just dried out and sat vacant.
A post-flood lawsuit between Simon Property Group, which owns a majority stake in the joint venture entity that owns the mall, and its property insurers and broker left the property in limbo. For its part, Simon held that the $50 million payout it received was $150 million shy of what it was rightfully owed, and once it got that cash it would begin to rebuild the property.
43. Shopper spending surprisingly strong in March - Friday, April 1, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers shrugged off higher gas prices and cool temperatures to give retailers a surprisingly solid March.
Revenue reports Thursday from retailers from Costco to Victoria's Secret extend the streak of strong spending from late last year and suggest that an improving economy and recent job growth are outweighing pressure from higher pump prices.
44. Retailers report solid gains in February - Friday, February 25, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — Shoppers braved February's chill to hand retailers surprisingly strong sales gains, extending the momentum from a strong holiday season and providing evidence of a strengthening economic recovery.
45. Shoppers shook off snow, retailers gained in January - Friday, January 28, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — Retailers reported surprisingly solid January revenue gains Thursday that swept away fears that snowstorms in much of the country had chilled sales.
The reports, which are being compared with a respectable January 2010, offer encouraging signs that consumer spending is maintaining the momentum of the strong holiday season.