NEW YORK (Reuters) – Add this to the list of things some people are thankful for: stores open on Thanksgiving Day. That’s how Janet Guerrero, 24, felt when shopping on Thursday afternoon at a Wal-Mart in Westbury, Long Island, because she had nothing to wear to dinner. “It’s an emergency,” she said.

This year, Target Corp (TGT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) has joined Wal-Mart (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Gap Inc (GPS.N: Quote, Profile, Research) in being open at least part of the day, and some retailers will be open throughout the day, a trend that began to take hold in 2011.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Add this to the list of things some people are thankful for: stores open on Thanksgiving Day. That’s how Janet Guerrero, 24, felt when shopping on Thursday afternoon at a Wal-Mart in Westbury, Long Island, because she had nothing to wear to dinner. “It’s an emergency,” she said.

This year, Target Corp has joined Wal-Mart and Gap Inc in being open at least part of the day, and some retailers will be open throughout the day, a trend that began to take hold in 2011.

By Phil Wahba

(Reuters) – Lowe’s Cos Inc’s (LOW.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday in a sign its efforts to cut costs and improve its selection of home improvement items is helping it narrow the gap with larger rival Home Depot Inc (HD.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

Preparation and rebuilding efforts tied to Sandy and an improving housing market also boosted business at the world’s No. 2 home improvement chain.

Nov 19 (Reuters) – Lowe’s Cos Inc’s reported a
higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday as preparation
and rebuilding efforts tied to superstorm Sandy and an improving
housing market boosted business at the world’s No. 2 home
improvement chain.

Shares of Lowe’s, which also raised its full-year sales
forecast, rose 4.6 percent to $33.44 in premarket trading.

Nov 15 (Reuters) – Target Corp’s quarterly profit
beat Wall Street forecasts as the discount chain lured more
shoppers with its store debit and credit cards and a wider
variety of food products.

Target said 14 percent of sales during the quarter were paid
for with its debit and credit cards, compared with 9.5 percent a
year earlier. The cards, which offer a discount, are a
cornerstone of Target’s growth strategy.

By Phil Wahba and Nivedita Bhattacharjee

(Reuters) – Fashion company Michael Kors Holdings Ltd’s (KORS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) second- quarter income more than tripled and the company raised its full-year profit view as it benefited from strong demand at home as well as in European markets.

Michael Kors, whose founder is a judge on the long-running television fashion show “Project Runway,” said holiday-quarter sales at its own stores, open a year, could rise by a “mid-20 percent.”

By Phil Wahba

(Reuters) – Saks Inc (SKS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday it expects sales at stores open at least a year to be flat during the current holiday quarter because of a slow start to November due to Super storm Sandy.

Saks said Sandy affected stores that account for more than half of its sales.

But during the third quarter, Saks sales and profits were hurt by what it called a “modest” spike in promotions, which lowered its gross profit margin by 0.3 point to 43.9 percent of sales.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The re-election of President Barack Obama will likely mean a continuation of the U.S. government’s policy promoting electric and hybrid vehicles, Elon Musk, the chief executive of electric car maker Tesla Motors Inc (TSLA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), said on Monday.

“I think that we can expect at least that things will continue as they have,” Musk told reporters at an event in New York. “I wouldn’t expect it to get any worse for electric vehicles, hopefully it will get a little better.”

TORONTO/NEW YORK (Reuters) – If Hudson’s Bay Co wants to provide some measure of comfort to investors in its upcoming initial public offering, it might have to throw in some of its signature striped wool blankets.

The retailer, owner of two of the most venerable names in department stores – Hudson’s Bay in Canada and Lord & Taylor in the United States – faces a big challenge in convincing investors it can win the turnaround game, especially with a hip and agile competitor like Target Corp (TGT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) about to arrive in Canada.

By Phil Wahba

(Reuters) – J.C. Penney Co Inc (JCP.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reported a sharper-than-expected decline in quarterly sales at stores open at least a year as shoppers continued to snub the retailer after it got rid of most coupons and sales earlier this year.

The company, which is in the early stages of a multiyear turnaround, said on Friday that same-store sales had fallen 26.1 percent, while analysts had expected a decrease of 17.9 percent. Shares of the department store chain dropped 7 percent to $20.18 in premarket trading.