HOLIDAY SHOPPING'S LIKE, COOL; STORES EXPECT BIG BUCKS FROM TEENS.Byline: Rachel Beck Rachel Beck is an American reporter for the Lebanon Express in Lebanon, Oregon. Born 5 April, 1982, she was raised in Sisters, Oregon. In 2000, she graduated from Sisters High School[1]. She graduated from Vassar College with the class of 2004. Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. While parents watch their holiday spending this year, teens aren't as frugal. They want the latest and hippest clothes, accessories and gadgets and are willing to pay big bucks to stay on the cutting edge. That's good news for stores catering to teens, like Wet Seal, Pacific Sunwear and Hot Topic, which are poised to outpace much of the retail industry during the important holiday season. ``Kids have incredible spending power The power of legislatures to tax and spend. Spending power is conferred to state and federal legislatures through their constitution. Judicial Review of legislative spending varies from state to state, but the law of federal spending informs courts in all states. and the mall is where they live,'' said Thomas Tashjian, a retail analyst at Nationsbanc Montgomery Securities in San Francisco. ``That's creating a very strong selling environment for teen retailers.'' After years of favoring the sloppy, grunge grunge - /gruhnj/ 1. That which is grungy, or that which makes it so. 2. [Cambridge] Code which is inaccessible due to changes in other parts of the program. The preferred term in North America is dead code. look, teens are dressing up again. Instead of ripped jeans and oversized o·ver·size n. 1. A size that is larger than usual. 2. An oversize article or object. adj. o·ver·size also o·ver·sized Larger in size than usual or necessary. , flannel shirts, they now want sequined se·quin n. 1. A small shiny ornamental disk, often sewn on cloth; a spangle. 2. A gold coin of the Venetian Republic. Also called zecchino. tr.v. tank tops, low-cut lace dresses and bell-bottom pants. Young men, too, are spicing up their wardrobes. Many wear brands like Nautica and Tommy Hilfiger in addition to urban labels like Ecko Unlimited, Mecca USA, and FUBU FUBU For Us By Us (clothing brand) FUBU Fouled Up Beyond Understanding (polite form) FUBU Fouled Up Beyond Use (polite form) FUBU Fouled Up By User . Eighty-eight percent of girls ages 13 to 17 say they love to shop, compared with 55 percent of Americans ages 21 to 62, according to the 1997 Annual Consumer Survey by the retail consulting firm Kurt Salmon Associates. And it's not just clothes. Teens are buying nail polish in metallic reds and dark browns, hair accessories, jewelry, music and anything electronic - from video games to hand-held organizers. Last year, teens spent an estimated $103 billion, according to Teenage Research Unlimited, a Northbrook, Ill.-based market research firm. ``The youth market is still underserved,'' said James Palczynski, a retail analyst at Ladenburg, Thalmann & Co. Inc. ``They want specialty stores that sell hip, unknown brands that you can't find everywhere.'' Christmas isn't the only time of year teen retailers have benefited from the growing youth market. Many stores including Pacific Sunwear and Wet Seal have reported strong year-over-year sales gains. CAPTION(S): Chart Chart: (Color) TEEN-AGER SPENDING Associated Press |
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