The Curated Designer Project has expanded to highlight eight independent jewelry designers during CBG’s Las Vegas show.
Chains see small increases in Q3 comps
Walmart and Target both reported a 2 percent rise while T.J. Maxx’s parent company saw same-store gain of 3 percent, with the chains attributing marked traffic growth and positive customer experiences for the performances.
New York--Comp sales were up for Target Corp., Walmart Stores Inc. and TJX Companies Inc., albeit by small amounts, in the third quarter.
Traffic growth and positive customer experience helped to stimulate sales for the companies in the three-month periods ended Oct. 31.
Target Corp.
Third quarter comps grew 2 percent for Target in the three-month period ended Oct. 31, driven by traffic growth and online sales, which increased by 20 percent.
Same-store sales in signature categories--style, baby, kids and wellness--grew more than three times faster than the company average, leading the company’s sales growth.
The third quarter also marked Target’s fourth consecutive quarter of traffic growth, which the company said was “encouraging, especially in the face of stiffer prior-year comparisons.”
Overall sales in the quarter were up 2 percent, increasing from $17.25 billion in the year-earlier period to $17.61 billion, reflecting both a rise in comp sales as well as sales from new stores.
The Minneapolis-based company operates 1,805 stores, up just slightly from the 1,801 it had as of Nov. 1, 2014.
Walmart Stores Inc.
Same-store sales at Walmart were up for the fifth consecutive quarter, increasing nearly 2 percent in the most recent three-month period as customer experience scores continued to strengthen, Walmart said.
Operating income in the U.S. was down 9 percent to $4.5 billion, while net sales grew 4 percent to $72.7 billion.
At Sam’s Club, comps excluding fuel rose less than 1 percent, and net sales without fuel were up 2 percent to $14.1 billion. Operating income (excluding fuel) increased 4 percent during the quarter.
Total revenue for the company was $117.4 billion, or $122.4 billion on a constant currency basis.
Operating income for the overall Walmart Stores, Inc. was down 9 percent. The company noted that although positive comps show the business is taking the right steps to win with customers, it is “positioning for sustainable growth through investments in people and technology to deliver a seamless shopping experience at scale.”
TJX Companies Inc.
U.S. same-store sales rose 3 percent year-over-year in the third quarter ended Oct. 31 for T.J. Maxx and Marshalls stores, parent company TJX Companies Inc. reported.
U.S. net sales for the two chain stores were up
Globally, overall comps increased 5 percent while net sales also rose 5 percent to $7.75 billion. Net income for the company was down 1 percent, from $594.9 million in the year-earlier period to $587.3 million.
“We are delighted that strong customer traffic drove our entire consolidated comp and was the primary driver of our comp increases at every division,” said TJX chairman and CEO Carol Meyrowitz. “Our excellent traffic gains and strong performance across our apparel, accessories and home categories demonstrate that our brands globally are offering the right values and merchandise mix.”
During the third quarter, TJX increased its store locations in the U.S. to 2,679--1,149 T.J. Maxx locations, 1,001 Marshalls stores, 522 HomeGoods stores and seven of its Sierra Trading Post locations.
Th company also acquired Trade Secret, an Australian off-price retailer with 35 stores on the continent, in October.
The Latest

The trade show’s education series returns, with sessions on retail trends, AI, watches, marketing, corporate responsibility, and more.

Bring a cool tone to your summer jewelry with these white metal pieces.

As gold prices rise, today’s retailers are looking for alternatives at prices that will appeal to wider audiences.

Buying discipline at trade shows starts with clarity about your inventory levels, Smith writes.


The deal closed this week, which means Instore will produce the JA NY show slated to take place this fall.

The “Bauble” capsule collection of colorful one-of-a-kinds includes our Piece of the Week, the “Bauble” earrings, featuring rose zircon.

With the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.

The updated catalog has a newly dedicated section for gift wrapping.

Everett covers colored stones’ surging popularity, the mellow return of the “Mellon Blue,” and his “The Devil Wears Prada” doppelgänger.

Fourth-generation CEO Lilly Mullen wants to emphasize experience, connection, and personalized service.

The new award, created in partnership with Henne Jewelers, honors the late designer’s legacy through supporting jewelry education.

The addition of the diamond-producing countries as nation affiliated members broadens the federation’s global representation, WFDB said.

The NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.

Designer Viviana Langhoff has realized her dream of owning a space for her Chicago jewelry store that looks and feels like her brand.

The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.

Former Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.

The $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.

With gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.

Fruchtman Marketing has new owners, Erin Moyer-Carballea and Manuel Carballea, and will relocate to Miami.

In a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.

In a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.

The “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.

The jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.

This is what the nine recipients plan to do with the funds.

The Western star’s 14-karat gold signet ring sold for six times its low estimate following a bidding war at U.K. auction house Elmwood’s.

The discussion, "Rebuilding the Jewelry Workforce," will take place on Saturday, May 16, in Troy, Michigan.
























