Word: retailing
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...retail car owner, it's likely to be an evolutionary change. Fred Standish, a spokesman for Nissan, which is preparing to launch the all-electric Leaf next year in the U.S., says the Japanese automaker expects the first EV drivers to be people who have garages where they can plug in at night. Owing to the lack of charging stations, he says they will also likely limit their EVs to short trips. "There is going to have to be a lot of education, because this a major change," he says...
What might be the driving factor that lowers holiday retail sales and stalls a much-anticipated economic recovery? Stingy spouses with children. According to a new survey from America's Research Group, a retail-consulting firm, 50.1% of parents plan on cutting back on gifts to each other this year. That figure is up from 44.4% last year, a surprising jump considering that the U.S. was in the depths of the financial crisis during the previous holiday season. "Parents want to maintain gift-spending levels for their kids, so they are showing more willingness to trim on each other," says...
Thanks in part to these forecasted cuts in spouse-to-spouse gifting, Beemer is predicting a 2.9% drop in holiday retail sales, compared with a 2.7% drop a year ago. "I know some analysts are predicting positive numbers, but I just don't see it working out as well," he says. Given his track record - Beemer's sales predictions have been accurate within a half of 1% over the past 17 of 18 holiday seasons - the economy shouldn't expect a Christmas gift. "It's a heck of a challenging time," says Mark Israel, president of Hearts on Fire...
...Certain sectors have been ravaged more than others: small businesses involved in the transportation and warehouse business, manufacturing, wholesale trade and retail trade took the biggest hits, with sales plunging 16.7%, 13.8%, 10.4%. and 6.7% respectively in 2009, says White. (Sageworks' results reflect data gathered from more than 10,000 banks and CPAs who work with small businesses...
...might soon buy Chinese-made T-shirts, shoes and bicycles. China's Ministry of Commerce, through banks and export agencies, is offering cheap loans and tax and export credits to Chinese state-owned companies seeking to build a base in Africa. Incentives are given to Chinese manufacturing and retail businesses in addition to exploration and construction companies. In return for so-called "no-strings-attached" aid and cheap loans to African countries, Beijing expects privileged access to oil and resources, political support in institutions like the U.N., and African governments - be they good, bad or despotic - to give Chinese companies...