The National Retail Federation is predicting an improved economy and more jobs will add up to sales growth of 5% this year.

The cute company icons known as the Campbell Kids(tm) are celebrating their centennial birthday. The two were first illustrated by artist Grace Drayton whose husband was bidding for Campbell’s streetcar…

The Labor Department reported only a slight improvement in the jobless rate today as compared to the 150,000 additional jobs expected by analysts. The unemployment rate decreased to 5.7 percent…

A successful end to the holiday season boosted consumer electronics retailer Best Buy’s December sales to $4.64 billion, a 19% jump over last year. Based on the encouraging results, the…

Relieved that a 10.5 percent drop in 2003 sales was no larger than expected, investors sent Ahold stock prices up 6 percent in trading today. Sales would have climbed 2.7…

Apple announced yesterday that it will license its iPod technology to Hewlett-Packard, which will produce iPod digital music devices bearing the H-P brand and place an Apple iTunes jukebox software…

Following up last week’s announcements of further BSE prevention measures, the USDA issued four new regulations specifically addressing the way product is marked during the inspection process; the classification of…

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company reported a 3rd quarter earnings loss of 65 cents per share, narrowing from a loss of 77 cents in the previous year period….

Shares of Gap Inc. dropped as much as 13 percent yesterday as investors expressed anxiety over a slight 1 percent increase in combined holiday period same-store sales at Gap, Old…

The consumer packaged goods giant is moving former co-chief exec Betsy Holden into a newly established president of global marketing and category development position as part of a big restructure…

Target Corp. saw total retail sales jump 9.9 percent in December compared to the previous year. Comparable-store sales were up 4.1 percent for the same period.

Procter & Gamble raised its quarterly earnings guidance yesterday saying the company saw sales of its health care products increase as a result of the early arrival of the cold…

A late surge of shoppers raised Wal-Mart’s same-store sales in December to 4.3% above the same period in 2002.

Baltimore Sun columnist discusses his personal mishaps trying to use self-checkout stations.

Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. has agreed to buy the Joyco food business in Spain for $272 million in cash.

Having a totally connected and automated home is the buzz of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. It is still, however, more dream than reality,

Pubs in the UK are going smoke-free and finding they’re gaining more customers than they are losing in the process.

Beef industry officials have a plan to certify American beef free of mad cow disease so that exports to Japan may resume.

A Web site report that creditors of Parmalat have traced 7 billion euros back to a bank account in the U.S. has yet to be confirmed.

Former Kraft Foods co-Chief Executive Betsy Holden has been named by the company to be its president of global marketing & category development.

The consumer electronics chain reported same-store sales for December were off two percent. Chain-wide sales were down one percent.

The two manufacturers have agreed to stock vending machines in schools throughout Canada with water and fruit juice drinks and remove carbonated soft drinks.

Schick is looking for innovations such as the company’s Quattro, four-blade razor, to help it move up from its perrenial number two spot in the shaving products category.

McD’s has signed an agreement to put to put “wi-fi hotspots” in more than 500 of its locations in England.

Farmer Jack has announced it will close thirteen stores in Michigan in an attempt to turn the struggling division of A&P around.

The upside to previous management overstating earnings in 1989 and 1999 is that RiteAid will receive $51 million in tax benefits to boost its bottom line in fiscal 2004.