WHAT HAPPENED: The nation’s retailers, particularly mall-based apparel chains, reported sluggish sales for August as consumers focused on buying basics and delayed making purchases amid economic worries. Among the few bright spots were...

Discount retailer Target Corp. said Thursday that August same-store sales fell 2.1 percent as consumers shopped cautiously, mainly for essentials like food.

Many of the nation’s retailers struggled with a sluggish start to the back-to-school season, though Wal-Mart posted higher August sales Thursday as shoppers focused on buying essentials amid persistent worries about high gas and food...

Many of the nation’s retailers are reporting a sluggish start to the back-to-school season as shoppers focused on buying essentials in August amid persistent worries about high gas and food prices, a slumping housing market and a weak job...

Nearly every major automaker saw their U.S. sales drop in August, but many are seeing signs that the worst slump in recent history may have bottomed out.

Early reports from several retailers show a sluggish start to the back-to-school season. Here is a snapshot of some of the same-store sales results announced Wednesday, a day before a majority of merchants are expected to report final figures....

Early reports from several retailers including J.C. Penney Co. and Kohl’s Corp. confirmed on Wednesday what Wall Street had already expected: a weak start to the back-to-school shopping...

Ford Motor Co. said Wednesday its U.S. sales fell 26.5 percent in August, as the struggling automaker’s results _ even worse than July’s dismal figures _ showed that the U.S. auto sales slump may not have bottomed...

Ford Motor Co. says its August sales dropped more than 26 percent as U.S. economic woes and high gas prices continued to batter the auto industry.

Sales are improving in Japan for Sony Corp.’s PlayStation Portable handheld video game machine, and a beefed up version with a clearer display is expected to add momentum, a senior executive said...