Southland retailers report solid gains in business last month.Several Southland retailers reported substantial sales increases during February, echoing the same surging trend that cheered retailers across the nation during the first two months of the year. "We're racing ahead," said Mike Marevich, president of Hinshaw's, an independent department store in Arcadia. Its February sales were 31 percent higher than during February 1991. Likewise, there was a 7 percent to 8 percent jump in sales last month at Southland JC Penney stores compared with a year earlier, said Bill Miller, special events manager for the Greater Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Metropolitan area JC Penney Co. Inc. stores. Also, February sales at Adray-Mart Inc., a Van Nuys-based discount electronics retailer, were 18 percent higher than during February 1991, said Marketing Manager Kam Mateen. He attributed the leap to the proliferation of bargain hunters Bargain Hunters was a game show on ABC in the summer of 1987, hosted by Peter Tomarken. Games Each episode featured six contestants, with two playing one of the following games — Bargain Quiz, Bargain Trap and Bargain Busters — at a time. . It's fashionable now to find a deal, Mateen said. And at Nordstrom, "we have seen a slight upswing in traffic and customer spending," since the beginning of February, said Marie Joyce, spokeswoman for the Nordstrom stores in Los Angeles County. Customers also scribbled more checks last month for their purchases. TeleCheck, a Houston, Texas-based check guarantee service, reported a 15.8 percent increase in the total dollar amount of checks made out to Southland retailers during February as compared with the same time last year, said Randy Rutledge, general manager of TeleCheck. Retail experts warn, though, that the impressive sales figures sales figures npl → cifras fpl de ventas may be misleading because they contrast with a slump period a year earlier. The Persian Gulf War Persian Gulf War or Gulf War (1990–91) International conflict triggered by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Though justified by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on grounds that Kuwait was historically part of Iraq, the invasion was presumed to be was in full swing during January and February 1991, and consumers were shying away from stores to sit in front of their television sets. "Clearly the war is a big factor. The benchmark last year was so low," said John Golisch, partner in charge of retailing in Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, for Arthur Andersen For the U.S. Supreme Court case commonly known as Arthur Andersen, see . Arthur Andersen LLP, based in Chicago, was once one of the "Big Five" accounting firms (the other four are PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, Ernst & Young and KPMG), performing & Co., an accounting and consulting firm Noun 1. consulting firm - a firm of experts providing professional advice to an organization for a fee consulting company business firm, firm, house - the members of a business organization that owns or operates one or more establishments; "he worked for a . Some retailers conceded their sales looked great because the comparison period was so weak. Both Marevich and Miller said about half of the sales gains at their respective stores is attributable to last year's war-weighted slump. As far as the amount of check dollars is concerned, the total written to retailers last month was nearly 20 percent higher than during February 1990, the year prior to the Persian Gulf War, Rutledge said. There has also been a surge in retail real estate activity in the Southland. Dick Carter, senior retail associate with the Sherman Oaks office of Beitler Commercial Realty Services, said he has noticed more retailers making leasing offers on new sites. Carter noted the beginning of the year is typically a busy time for retail leasing. The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is over then, and a property leased early in the year will be ready to open for business in the latter part, in time for the beginning of the big Yule holiday season. However, this year many retailers hunting for new space are value-oriented ones, such as clothing outlets, Carter said. Officials at these outfits hope to capitalize on Cap´i`tal`ize on` v. t. 1. To turn (an opportunity) to one's advantage; to take advantage of (a situation); to profit from; as, to capitalize on an opponent's mistakes s>. current depressed rents. Then they intend to open their new stores next summer and fall, banking on the economy picking up by then. Southland retailers also reported a general shift in consumer confidence and traffic patterns. "In general, we've seen a slight improvement in the customers' attitude and willingness to spend," said Bill Dombrowski, spokesman for downtown Los Angeles-based Carter Hawley Hale Stores Carter Hawley Hale Stores was an American retailer based in Southern California. Known through its history as Broadway-Hale Stores and Broadway Stores, over time, it acquired other retail store chains in regions outside California home base, and became in certain retail sectors a Inc., parent of the Broadway department store chain. "I have noticed there are more people walking around (shopping malls) with bags in their hands," said Jack Kyser, chief economist The Chief Economist is a single position job class having primary responsibility for the development, coordination, and production of economic and financial analysis. It is distinguished from the other economist positions by the broader scope of responsibility encompassing the with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. There is 10 percent to 15 percent more traffic at Hinshaw's now on a day-to-day basis than there was last October and November, prior to the holiday surge, Marevich said. One upscale retailer reported a drop in business compared with last year at this time. January business lagged behind year-earlier trade by 12 percent, while February sales were flat with last year, said Bruce Meyer Bruce Meyer (born April 23, 1957) is a Canadian poet and educator. He has been the Director of Writing and Literature at the University of Toronto School of Continuing Studies, and has taught at the University of Windsor, McMaster University, Trinity College at the , president of Geary's of Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. . Customers are still wary, Kyser said. Nevertheless, overall "there is a slow pickup in sales," in the Southland, he said. |
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