2009 Analysis of Top U.S. Retail Industry News Stories and Events

Bankruptcy and liquidation sales plagued the U.S. retail industry in 2008 and 2009 as intense recession conditions proved to be fatal for some well-known chains and brands. Find a list of surviving major U.S. retailers and an assessment of their risk for bankruptcy in the short-term here.

Coach Inc. takes an agressive stance in the 2008 holiday season with a product mix that is bold and innovative. Read about product mix strategies that retailers are using to get out of the red and into the green.

While worldwide headlines focus on the large number of U.S. retail store closings in 2009, many top and emerging retail chains are quietly opening new stores and gaining market share. While Americans say farewell to Circuit City, KB Toys, and Goody's, find out which retailers are ready and willing to take their place.

Each year Entrepreneur Magazine publishes a "Franchise 500" list and Franchise Times compiles its own "Top 200 Franchise Chains" list to specifically compare the business success of the top franchise chains in the U.S. See a combined list of the retail industry companies on the top two 2009 top franchise lists here.

Retail Industry experts had dire predictions for the retail industry's first quarter in 2009, and top U.S. retailers have been struggling to survive despite the odds they've been given. See a photo review of Q1 in the U.S. retail industry, which was filled with store closings, Chapter 11 filings, and controversial executive bonuses and huge CEO compensation.

After a period of intense focus on operational efficiency, the retail industry is challenged to shift its focus to put the customer experience back into the retailing equation. Get expert analysis about the new balance that must be achieved between profitability and custmer satisfaction in a new economy in this article.

The U.S. has experienced recessions before and many companies in the U.S. retail industry have thrived and survived in spite of recessions and depressions. Get examples of past retail recessionary winners and expert analysis of how yesterday's strategies might work for today's retailers in this article.

The compensation of top U.S. retail industry CEOs came into question when other American corporations used government bailout funds to pay executive bonuses. See expert analysis of President Obama's "Say on Pay" initiative, and find out how government intervention might figure into the calculations of retailing's largest paychecks in the future.

Though the annual Fortune 500 list is highly regarded as a prestigious ranking of the best American corporations, the 2009 list raises questions about the credibility of its measurements and status. Find out how U.S. retail industry companies ranked on the latest Fortune 500 list and get expert analysis of the questions raised by this year's surprises.

The U.S. retail industry offered support to Earth Day 2009 activities even though the conscious consuming mission behind the holiday doesn't really support the mission of retailing. Get expert news analysis of the major consequences that a minor holiday can have, and how the green movement and the retail industry can coexist in the future.

After exhausting shoppers with discounts, U.S. retailers are giving handouts in the form of free drinks, free food, free healthcare, and free tickets to create good will and boost ancillary sales. Get expert news analysis of the use of freebies in the U.S. and the effect of the strategy on a slumping retail industry.

The retail industry is embracing "free" as a reccsionary marketing strategy to capture customer attention and build loyalty. When it comes to "Free Choice" in the workplace, however, top U.S. retailers are fighting hard against it. Find expert commentary on how the concept of free is influencing retail practices and shaping the U.S. retail industry's future here.

The 2008 bonus packages for CEOs at Ebay, Amazon.com, and Wal-Mart CEOs reveal the huge disparity in compensation that exists between retail industry employees and the CEOs who lead them. Find expert analysis of how the AIG big bonus blowup will shape the future of retail industry executive compensation packages, and connect huge bonuses with hugely positive results.

When tax dollars were being used in 2009 to pay enormous salaries and bonuses to senior executives at AIG and other bailed out companies, consumers protested loudly, and U.S. lawmakers spoke out against an abusive pay system. Find expert commentary about how retail CEO compensation compares to other industries, and what role consumers will play in determining executive pay in the future.

While many struggling retailers are focused on price cuts to lure customers in the door and motivate sales, many top U.S. retail companies are focusing extra attention on giving superior service to customers and creating a successful shopping experience. Find expert commentary about the need for focus on customer satisfaction in retail stores and e-commerce websites even in the midst of a recession.

Following a devastating holiday shopping season, 2009 is projected to be a year filled with store closings, job cuts, layoffs, Chapter 11 filings, bankruptcies, and going out of business sales. Find predictions about how the retail industry will weather the recession and how the U.S. retail experience will be changed for the better.

October 2008 was an unfortunate record-setting month for Build-a-Bear, eBay and Southwest Airlines. But while the retail industry declined to new lows, "sin stock" companies like Hershey's and Anheuser Busch soothed consumer misery and reported profits.

Predictions for declines in consumer spending during the 2009 holiday shopping season got worse before the Black Friday kickoff. Get expert analysis of the challenges faced by the U.S. retail industry and the aggressive marketing tactics used by some retailers to capture shopping dollars so they get in the black and out of the red in the last...

Generous pay packages and raises given to U.S. retail industry CEOs in a year of devastating retail recession brings the entire U.S. economic system into question and fuels consumer protests. Did massive store closings and layoffs put average workers on unemployment in order to fund the outrageous compensation of the an elite number of executives? Get expert analysis of the CEO compensation contr…