Delta’s 2013 Global Goals, Starbucks Goes To Vietnam: Consumer Business Recap

Chief Executive Richard Anderson of Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) has announced his company’s goals for 2013 while thanking employees for their work last year. In his memo, Anderson commented that, “We enter 2013 as a stronger airline, ready to continue improving our performance and executing on our key strategic initiatives. With many of our competitors still focused on significant integration or restructuring efforts, 2013 is the year for Delta to advance its position around the world.”

On Thursday, Barnes & Noble (NYSE:BKS) posted its holiday sales for the nine-week holiday period that ended December 29th. The company’s retail segment showed revenues of $1.2 billion, down 10.9 percent year-over-year from 2011, which was blamed on an 8.2 percent fall in comparable store sales, store closures and lower online sales. Core comparable store sales, subtracting sales of Nook products, fell 3.1 percent in the same period because of lower bookstore traffic. Although retail sales of NOOK products were under expectations, bookstore sales of core products surpassed expectations. Barnes & Noble continues to anticipate that fiscal year 2013 retail comparable bookstore sales to drop on a percentage basis into the low- to mid-single digits.

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In February, Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) will launch its first store in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh City. Even though the giant company has in excess of 3,000 stores in Asia, this one is catching a lot of interest because Vietnam is the second-largest exporter of coffee beans next to Brazil and is a nation that loves the beverage itself.

Subaru (SBUOF.PK) recalls up to 634,000 vehicles in the United States to repair potential lighting problems which could cause smoke or fire, say safety regulators. This recall involves certain Forester vehicles from 2009 through 2012, all Legacy and Outback vehicles from 2010 and 2011, and some Tribeca vehicles from 2006 through 2012, say documents filed with the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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