Jan 11 (Reuters) – Best Buy Co Inc on Friday showed
a bit of a turnaround in its U.S. stores, with flat same-store
sales during the key holiday season, but slashed its
expectations for free cash flow after it had to pay for some
inventory earlier than expected.

Shares of Best Buy, which is in the midst of a restructuring
and faces a looming buyout proposal by founder and former
chairman Richard Schulze, rose 5 percent to $12.82 in premarket
trading.

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) – U.S. lawmakers on Thursday released emails that appeared to show Wal-Mart Chief Executive Mike Duke knew as far back as 2005 of allegations that company representatives had bribed Mexican officials.

The emails appeared to contradict the company’s public statements about a bribery scandal tied to its Mexican affiliate, Wal Mart de Mexico WALMEX.MX. Lawmakers said Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) did not dispute the authenticity of the emails.

WASHINGTON/CHICAGO (Reuters) – Lawmakers on Thursday released emails that appeared to show Wal-Mart Chief Executive Mike Duke knew as far back as 2005 of allegations that company representatives had bribed Mexican officials.

The emails appeared to contradict the company’s public statements about a bribery scandal tied to its Mexican affiliate, Wal Mart de Mexico. Lawmakers said Wal-Mart Stores Inc did not dispute the authenticity of the emails.

Jan 10 (Reuters) – Supervalu Inc, the No. 3 U.S.
grocery store operator, plans to sell five retail grocery chains
to an investor group led by Cerberus Capital Management LP
, the company said on Thursday.

Supervalu, which also reported a quarterly profit, said it
would sell the Albertsons, Acme, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s and Star
Market chains and related Osco and Sav-on in-store pharmacies as
in the deal. The transaction will be valued at $3.3 billion.

Jan 3 (Reuters) – Some major U.S. retailers had a tough
December, with chains like Target and Family Dollar feeling the
pinch as consumers were cautious in their holiday spending.

The economy took a toll on shoppers in the most important
quarter of the year for retailers. The holiday season was never
expected to be stellar, but even the single-digit growth
anticipated by chains and analysts came under pressure as
Superstorm Sandy, the ever-present headlines about the “fiscal
cliff” and the Connecticut school shootings affected consumers’
moods.

Jan 3 (Reuters) – Costco Wholesale Corp had a
strong run-up to Christmas, but other chains posted
disappointing December sales on Thursday, as the economy took a
toll on shoppers in the most important quarter of the year for
retailers.

Among the chains reporting December sales at stores open at
least a year, Costco stood out early with growth that topped
expectations. Limited Brands Inc’s sales rose less than
anticipated, marking a rare miss for the owner of the Victoria’s
Secret chain.

Jan 2 (Reuters) – The “fiscal cliff” drama that dominated
the news and spooked businesses and financial markets did little
to dampen spending by U.S. shoppers this holiday season.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows nearly three-quarters of
Americans said the debate around the fiscal cliff had no impact
on their holiday spending. Fewer than 20 percent of those polled
said they spent less during the season than they did in the 2011
holidays, according to the poll.

By Jessica Wohl

(Reuters) – The “fiscal cliff” drama that dominated the news and spooked businesses and financial markets did little to dampen spending by shoppers this holiday season.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows nearly three-quarters of Americans said the debate around the fiscal cliff had no impact on their holiday spending. Fewer than 20 percent of those polled said they spent less during the season than they did in the 2011 holidays, according to the poll.

Jan 2 (Reuters) – The “fiscal cliff” drama that dominated
the news and spooked businesses and financial markets did little
to dampen spending by U.S. shoppers this holiday season.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows nearly three-quarters of
Americans said the debate around the fiscal cliff had no impact
on their holiday spending. Fewer than 20 percent of those polled
said they spent less during the season than they did in the 2011
holidays, according to the poll.

By Jessica Wohl

(Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc remained the best website for shopping online while JC Penney Co Inc suffered the largest drop in customer satisfaction of any major online retailer this holiday season, according to a survey released on Thursday.

Flash sale sites Gilt.com and RueLaLa.com were among the worst performers in online shopping satisfaction this season, according to ForeSee’s Holiday E-Retail Satisfaction Index.