Costco Wholesale Corporation Reports September Sales Results

Total revenue was $138.3 billion, an increase of $3.7 billion, or 2.7%. Revenue was negatively affected by approximately $4.2 billion related to recent divestitures in Walmart International. Excluding currency2, total revenue would have increased 2.1% to reach $137.4 billion. Walmart U.S. comp sales1 increased 6.0% with market share gains in grocery. Operating income increased 26.8%. Walmart U.S. eCommerce sales grew 37% with strong results across all channels, contributing approximately 360 basis points to comp sales. Sales more than doubled over the last two years. Consolidated operating income was $6.9 billion, an increase of 32.3%, with strength across the company. Recently divested businesses in the U.K. and Japan contributed operating income of $289 million, or $0.07 of EPS.

Before the era of online shopping, the department store Sears published its first holiday catalog in 1934. It started a tradition of kids circling pictures of toys they wanted from Santa and had adults bookmarking jewelry, appliances and more gift ideas. The nostalgic trend is being kept alive after Amazon began sending out its own toy catalogue in 2018 and is bringing it back this year. NBC’s Harry Smith reports in this week’s Sunday Spotlight. more at: https://www.today.com/video/holiday-store-catalogs-are-returning-reviving-a-classic-tradition-127345733612

Unable to find a buyer for 72-year-old Vermont Life, the state’s Agency of Commerce and Community Development announced Thursday that it will cease printing the quarterly magazine after its summer issue. Vermont Life‘s status as a state-funded publication had made its future a subject of debate over the past year, with state lawmakers estimating that it ran an annual deficit of around $400,000. The state sought proposals for a sale last September, but officials said they elected to maintain ownership after finding none of the offers to be satisfactory. Click Read More below for additional information.