consumer trends

iSend Worldwide Payment Services Offers New Elektra International Gift Card to US-based Mexicans for Friends and Family Back Home

WATERTOWN, Conn., Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Worldwide payment services leader iSend LLC has partnered with Mexican retail group Elektra to offer international gift cards to US-based Mexicans. Individuals purchase the Elektra Gift Card in... more »

Chocolate, roses, lingerie are mainstays of booming love-oriented retail holiday

Laurel — Cupid is on the prowl this week in anticipation of 2011 Valentine's Day next Monday, and that means big business for some area businesses. Valentine's Day has captured the hearts and wallets of... more »

Consumer spending up 0.7 percent in December

Washington—Americans spent at the fastest pace in three years in 2010, boosted by a strong finish in December.Consumer spending rose 0.7 percent in December, the sixth straight monthly increase, the Commerce Department reported Monday. Households... more »

Jan US Retail Sales Improve

New York - January consumer spending extended the holiday uptrend at many U.S. shopping centers, but urban malls are still struggling, according to mall managers around the country.The U.S. retail industry ended a year of... more »

A retail revival in eastern Massachusetts

Pembroke, MA - Retail vacancy rates are falling across eastern Massachusetts and boosting prospects for new shopping plazas planned for towns such as Pembroke and Sharon.Retail vacancies in the region peaked at 9.8 percent last... more »

Retailers count on gift cards to shore up their January sales

Gift card redemption is expected to be a key driver of retail sales this month, a welcome relief to stores after signs consumers were tightening their belts post-holiday. But there's conflicting evidence on whether increased... more »

Retailers “satisfied ” with growth in Christmas sales

Ireland - Retailers in Dundalk have been left "satisfied overall" with the amount of sales they achieved over the Christmas season.Many shop owners awaited the season with apprehension, worried that the recession might damage sales,... more »

Reinventing themselves: Shops fight off tough times by changing

As the economic downturn took hold several years ago, Mondi Miller watched the flow of customers slow to a trickle in her Heirloom Oriental Rugs shop in downtown Brighton."Nothing was happening," she said.The shop owner... more »