Budgets/Spending/Market Size

LONDON - Online shopping in the UK grew 142 percent in 2001, according to research published today by retail consultancy Verdict, Reuters reports.

CHICAGO - Target Corp. today released results from its fiscal third quarter. Earnings before charges rose 5 percent, helped by higher sales and profits at its Target discount chain, Reuters reported.

WASHINGTON - Congress is considering restoring food stamps to legal immigrants who stopped receiving benefits in the 1996 welfare overhaul, The Associated Press reported today.

WASHINGTON - Retail sales in October soared by 7.1 percent, resulting in the biggest one-month gain ever recorded, The Associated Press reported.

SAO PAULO, Brazil - Brazil's largest retailer Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao (CBD), popularly known as Grupo Pao de Acucar, today finalized negotiations to acquire 100 percent of supermarket chain Supermercados ABC, Reuters reported.

NEW YORK - Several major retailers released October store sales today. Discounters and other value-oriented merchants reported the best results.

NEW YORK - The bottled water market is currently experiencing a period of pronounced growth that shows little sign of slowing, according to a report by MarketResearch.com.

NEW YORK - Online retailing is expected to fare only about as well or as poorly as the retail economy as a whole during the Christmas season, The New York Times reported today. That stands in contrast to a steady growth since 1998, when online sales kept surging despite less favorable economic trends or even normal seasonal patterns.