Industry News   »   Features & Press Releases    
  latest stories
 
The Secrets Of Visual Merchandising

How your store looks is sometimes more important that what you are selling. We’ll explore the basics on merchandising your store from a visual perspective and also discuss how to build a formula to keep your store fresh and exciting to your frequent shoppers as well as your new guests.
10/06/2008

ZJ Boarding House Celebrates 20-Year Anniversary

Santa Monica's ZJ Boarding House celebrates twenty years of being in business with a carnival/concert/barbecue and a good portion of the industry turns out to help them celebrate.
09/29/2008

Surf Expo September Post-Show Recap

Retail shop and booth counts up at Surf Expo; attendance dips slightly due to weather and economy.
09/29/2008

The Girls Of Surf Expo

All the latest swimwear fashions, modeled at Surf Expo's Fashion Shows and at the swank Peabody Hotel.
09/25/2008

Fate Of Trestles Now In Hands Of U.S. Federal Government (Gulp!)

Thousands stand together in oppostiion to the 241 Toll Road extension during the U.S. Department Of Commerce public comment meeting at the Del Mar fairgrounds. But support and involvement from the surf industry was suprisingly muted at the hearing. So what gives?
09/24/2008

New Faces: Kane'ohe Bamboo Provisions

Building their company philosophy around the belief that the natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands is as irreplaceable as it is inspiring, Kane'ohe Founders Bryan and Kyle Harris built a brand that would embody island beauty, luxury, and environmental responsibility.
09/13/2008

Volcom’s Atomic Jigsaw On A Stick

“This was the best am contest ever. No, seriously, write that down: best ever.” Well. .. okay! That's cool.
09/13/2008

5th Annual WakeAwards Bash Goes Off At Surf Expo

WakeBoarding, the world's number one wake sports magazine, hosted the 5th Annual Wake Awards presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, on September 12 in Orlando, Florida during Surf Expo.
09/12/2008

Surf Expo Staff Anticipates Solid Show

After a few nervous days carefully monitoring weather reports, the skies over Orlando are clear and this show is shaping up to be on par with Surf Expo's largest September show ever.
09/11/2008

Surf Expo Golf Tournament

Fourteen fearless foursomes braved the fickle Central Florida elements during the annual Surf Expo Golf Tournament at Shingle Creek Golf Course.
09/11/2008

Liquid Nation Ball 5 Raises Funds for 14 Surf-Related Humanitarian Organizations

Surf industry business executives, professional surfers, and La Jolla VIPs gathered at the ocean-front home of Fernando and Vicky Aguerre in La Jolla, Calif. to help raise funds for 14 surf-related humanitarian organizations and honor the first ever SIMA Humanitarian of the year, Dr. Dave Jenkins, CEO of SurfAid International.
09/10/2008

Catching Up With: Origin Skate Trucks

Origin Skate Trucks was started by Richard Wooten and Todd Palmer with a new design on a truck, a truck the owners says is designed for performance because it has a 40% larger grinding surface and weighs the same as a standard Indy truck.
09/08/2008



Page 1 of 14 1  2  3  Next 

Syndicate  

 
Back-To-School Spending Expected To Top $20 Billion

One-fifth of parents nationwide have set aside a portion of their stimulus check for back-to-school purchases, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2008 Back to School Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch on 8,361 respondents. The survey found that the average family with school-aged children will spend $594.24 on back-to-school purchases, compared to $563.49 last year. Total back-to-school spending for Kindergarten through 12th grade this year is estimated to reach $20.1 billion.

While spending in most categories will remain flat over last year, electronics spending will continue to rise as many parents plan to spend some of their tax rebate check on household electronics like computers and cell phones. This year, parents will spend $151.61 on electronics purchases during the back-to-school timeframe, up from $129.24 last year. Spending on clothing ($234.51 vs. $231.80 last year), shoes ($109.75 vs. $108.42) and school supplies ($98.47 vs. $94.02 last year) will see more moderate increases.

“Strong promotions and must-have brands will help retailers stand out in the crowd as shoppers look for the best bang for their buck on back-to-school purchases this year,” said Tracy Mullin, President and CEO of the National Retail Federation. “While cost will be the deciding factor, some families will use rebate checks to soften the blow, taking advantage of promotions and deals when they can.”

With retailers starting back-to-school promotions earlier, parents are taking the opportunity to search longer for good bargains. This year, more parents (46.4% vs. 45.2% in 2007) will begin shopping at least three weeks before school starts.

A large majority of consumers will head to discount stores (73.0%) for back to school purchases this year, trying to stretch their dollar as far as possible. Others will head to department stores (56.6%), clothing stores (47.8%), electronic stores (21.4%), office supply stores (41.8%) and drug stores (18.2%). As comparison shopping becomes more popular among consumers looking for the best deals and gas prices continue to rise, 24.8 percent of back-to-school shoppers will buy online, compared to 21.4 percent last year.

“This year’s back-to-school shopper is a bargain hunter at the core,” said Phil Rist, Vice President of Strategy at BIGresearch. “Though parents want to make sure kids are fully prepared for school, they will be comparing prices online and in stores before making any big purchases.”

When it comes to how much say children have in parents’ buying decisions, more than half of parents (54.5%) say their children influence at least fifty percent of back-to-school purchases. But that isn’t to say that parents are the only ones spending: according to the survey, teenagers will spend an average of $26.29 of their own money for back-to-school this year, while preteens will spend $11.44.
 
Rating
Rating: Not rated yet

1

2

3

4

5
Number of ratings: 0
 
Comments
Comments
Add comment
Title:
   
Name:
   
Comment:
 
Save

Features & Press Releases - Share this page - del.icio.us del.icio.us | digg digg | reddit reddit | facebook facebook

 

 

Send your news to sobrien@surfexpo.com

 
  press releases
 

Halloween Wakeboard Day With Keith Lyman at the Carlsbad Lagoon

Wakesports will host a Halloween costume party at the Carlsbad Lagoon on Saturday, October 18th. The fun will kick off around noon and continue until sunset. Liquid Force is flying professional wakeboarder Keith Lyman out to join in the festivities.
10/10/2008

Buckle, Inc. Reports Comp Store Sales Up 19.7%

The Buckle, Inc. (NYSE: BKE) announced today that comparable store net sales, for stores open at least one year, for the five-week period ended October 4, 2008, increased 19.7 percent from comparable store net sales for the five-week period ended October 6, 2007.
10/10/2008

C4 Waterman Team to Go Big at Battle of the Paddle

C4 Waterman and their distributor, Boardworks, have rallied a red-hot team of stand up paddle (SUP) racers for this Saturday's $25,000 Battle of the Paddle at Doheny State Beach, Dana Point, California.
10/10/2008

Rip Curl promotes Brian Bosson to VP of Merchandising Operations

Rip Curl is excited to announce the promotion of Brian Bosson to Vice President of Merchandising Operations. In his new role, Bosson will expand his responsibilities overseeing the Tech Product Division into the production and development business.
10/10/2008

Bikini Flavors Gives Conservation a High Fashion Makeover

Bikini Flavors is proud to announce its partnership with the Caribbean Conservation Corporation (CCC).
10/10/2008

Steamer Lane Prepares For Oakley Pro Junior Series Finale

The nation's top professional junior surfers will compete at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Grade-3 North America Oakley Pro Junior Championships at the 2008 O'Neill Cold Water Classic at Steamer Lane, Santa Cruz, Calif. Oct. 21-26.
10/10/2008

Zumiez Total Net Sales Up 4.8% While Comp Store Sales Dip

Zumiez Inc. today announced that total net sales for the five-week period ended October 4, 2008 increased 4.8% to $33.6 million, compared to $32.1 million for the five-week period ended October 6, 2007.
10/10/2008

Jetpilot Announces Website Launch

The Web site is designed with efficiency and clarity in mind. The goal was simple: Create a window into the world of Jetpilot and what the brand is all about.
10/06/2008

Grenade Launches Footwear Collection

Grenade Footwear was designed to cover our feet when the days grew colder and so we could stop rummaging through the bins at Goodwill for the next good pair to skate.
10/06/2008

Furl TV To Conquer Colorado On Comcast

Exciting new Fall snowboard series “The Adventures of Danny & The Dingo” and “Standard Snowboard Show” perfect for new market.
10/06/2008

Sign Up For SIMA's HR Boot Camp Today

Registration open for 4th event in SIMA’s new educational Coot Camp Series: HR Boot Camp.
10/06/2008

DC Supports "Movember" With Limited Edition Sandal Release

For the second consecutive year DC is proud to support Movember, an annual charity ‘mo’-vement committed to changing the way men think about, discuss and treat their own health issues.
10/06/2008



Page 1 of 63 1  2  3  Next