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There will be a sale this weekend at Pennies for Change. Thieves made it happen.

The Chapel Hill Road thrift store sells donated items to benefit the Durham Crisis Response Center, which Heart tag charm Toggle bracelet victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. But last weekend, someone tore siding from the back of the store, smashed a hole in the wall to enter the business and took the store’s donation jar and safe. The combined monetary loss and damage is in the thousands.

So today and Saturday, most of the store’s clothing items are half price. Store manager Terry Pannick is also looking for big donations, including computers, new clothes, art, jewelry and cars.

The nonprofit is still recovering from earlier break-ins. In June, two windows were broken. In April, a doorknob and a lock were damaged.

“We never really get that much stuff taken, mostly damage,” Pannick said. “So this is major compared to anything else that has happened. … I don’t think these thieves care about what we do.”

The store, at 1826 Chapel Hill Road, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through charm bracelet. For more information or to volunteer, call 489-2681 or go to durhamcrisisresponse.org/pennies.html.

Credit: The News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.

Buoyed by strong international sales, Harry Winston Diamond Corp. more than tiffany earrings its second-quarter profits Tuesday and solidly beat analysts’ estimates.

The Toronto-based retailer and supplier of diamonds reported a 149 percent leap in profits, posting net earnings of $49.9 million, or 81 cents a diluted share, for the quarter ended July 31, versus net income of $20.1 million, or 33 cents a diluted share, for the year-ago period. Analysts anticipated 43 cents a share.

Sales grew 7.4 percent to $186.1 million from $173.3 million last year with retail sales up 18.9 percent to $81.1 million. The company’s cost of sales was $73.5 million for a gross margin of 60.5 percent, compared with $81.8 million, and a gross margin of 52.8 percent, for the comparable quarter in 2007.

The firm said retail sales in luxury jewelry were “robust,” and, with a global footprint, are “well tiffany bracelets to withstand regional economic disruptions” in the U.S. and Japan. Harry Winston said the sales performance in the first half has left it positioned to achieve its annual sales growth objective in excess of 15 percent.

“Our businesses in Asia, Europe and the Middle East have been sufficient to offset the general market softness in the U.S. and Japan,” said president Thomas O’Neill. “This contributed to our strong retail finish for the second quarter. Together with solid results from the first quarter, the first half of the year has put us on firm footing into the second half of the year.”

For the first half, profit ballooned 205.4 percent to $71.2 million, or $1.17 per share, tiffany rings with $23.3 million, or 39 cents a diluted share. Revenue was up 8.8 percent to $342.2 million, from $314.6 million.

For the fiscal September period, reported comparable store sales decreased 3.0%. This sales tiffany bracelet was the result of a decline in the number of comparable-store transactions, partially offset by an increase in average transaction size. Comparable-store sales in September 2007 increased 1.2%.

The current-month sales release quotes Gregg Steinhafel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Target Corporation, as saying, “Sales for the month of September were below our expectations, reflecting continued daily volatility. Challenges in the current environment, including weak topline growth in our Retail segment and higher net write-off rates in our Credit Card segment, has increased the likelihood that our third-quarter EPS may be slightly below the current First Call median estimate of $0.52. On balance, we currently expect 2008 full-year earnings per-share to meet or exceed last year’s full-year EPS of $3.33. This outlook for 2008 EPS assumes essentially flat year-over-year same-store sales in the fourth quarter, and a continuation of recent write-off rate trends through the remainder of this year.”

All earnings per share figures refer to diluted earnings per share.

At the merchandises category level, comparable-store sales were driven by continued strength in nondiscretionary healthcare and food categories, with comparable-store sales increases in the mid-single digit range. Both the apparel and home assortments experienced overall declines in the high single-digit range.

Specific categories with the strongest comparable-store sales increases in the month included healthcare, consumables, perishables, and household/personal/baby. The categories with the weakest comparable-store sales performance for the month included decorative home and garden, women’s apparel, and jewelry/discount tiffany.

Target’s strongest comparable store sales performance in September was in the Northeast region, while comparable-store sales performance in the West and South was weakest. We continue to see sales weakness in Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California.

At month-end, our inventory was in very good condition, reflecting continued strong control of merchandise receipts.

Looking forward to October, our comparable-store sales results will compare the four weeks ended November 1, 2008 to the four weeks ended November 3, 2007. We expect our comparable-store sales for this period to lie in the range of minus 3 to 0%. For perspective, comparable-store sales for the four-week period in October 2007 increased 4.1%.

Target’s current sales disclosure practice includes a sales recording on the day of our monthly sales release. Our next sales recording is expected to be issued on Thursday, November 6 and may be accessed by calling 612-761-6500.

Statements regarding sales and EPS expectations are forward-looking statements and should be read in conjunction with the cautionary statements in Exhibit 99-A of the Company’s first-quarter 2008 Form 10-Q.

[Thomson Financial reserves the right to make changes to documents, content, or other information on this web site without obligation to notify any person of such changes.

In the conference calls upon which Event Transcripts are based, companies may make tiffany pendant or other forward-looking statements regarding a variety of items. Such forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those stated in any forward-looking statement based on a number of important factors and risks, which are more specifically identified in the companies’ most recent SEC filings. Although the companies may indicate and believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove inaccurate or incorrect and, therefore, there can be no assurance that the results contemplated in the forward-looking statements will be realized.

A dollar doesn’t buy much these days, but at a fantasy sports website run by PageFad LLC, a tiffany jewelry on sale Hartford tech firm, a buck or two can buy an energy boost for your team or a sneak peek at the competition.

The company’s website features six sports games, but much of the firm’s profit is made from the sale of “virtual goods,” items that cost real money but exist only in cyberspace.

The 10-month-old PageFad offers a twist on the sports fantasy concept: Users can turn friends on social networking sites such as Facebook into athletes and assemble them into a sports team at onlineathletes.com, the company’s gaming site.

Competing in any of the online tournaments is free, but Adam Alfin, the company’s 27-year-old chief executive, hopes you’ll skip the latte and instead buy your online team a pair of virtual binoculars for $1.25 to check out the opposition. Or pay $2.50 to give your team more energy.

“When you buy an item, you’ll see one of the on-screen icons light up,” said Alfin, PageFad’s co-discount tiffany.

Who’s buying these online goods? Young, computer-literate and mostly male customers from around the world, Alfin said. He said his site’s 3 million registered users have put the company on track to gross $1.2 million in revenue in its first year.

Seventy percent of that amount is derived from the sale of virtual goods and virtual currency, which can be used to expand your team’s virtual stadium or even to bribe a referee, Alfin said.

Last year, Americans spent an estimated $200 million on virtual goods, including designer jeans for online avatars and virtual kibble for their virtual chihuahuas. Worldwide, sales total more than $2 billion, analysts estimate.

“Compared to other kinds of entertainment, most virtual goods are really, really cheap. … Most items cost from $1 to $20,” said Charles Hudson, a social games developer in Mountain View, Calif., who tracks the virtual economy. The sale of virtual goods is steadily increasing and expected to double in the next few tiffany sale, Hudson said.

“We’re still in the first generation. People are continuing to devise more ways to create revenue streams,” Hudson said.

Facebook currently sells more than 400 virtual items and gifts, from jewelry to cupcakes, priced at about $1 each. Supplies are limited, and the selection changes regularly.

PageFad’s virtual goods can also be bought with credits, which can accumulate when registered users complete an online survey, for example, or sign up for a service from one of the company’s advertisers, which include Blockbuster, Netflix, Sony Bravia HDTV and the iPhone 3G, Alfin said.

Last May, Alfin, co-founder Joshua Viner, 21, and founding team member Robin Weston, 24, raised $500,000 from angel investors. The sum allowed PageFad to move out of Alfin’s West Hartford home into a 2,000-square-foot office in downtown Hartford and hire seven full-time employees to expand the company’s offerings.

“We’re developing a sports game application for iPhone and Blackberry users, and we’re adding more Tiffany Bracelets goods for our users to buy,” Alfin said.

Hudson said the recession is unlikely to dampen the growing appetite for virtual goods.

“In the virtual world as in the real world, people want to accumulate things, keep up with the Joneses and improve their social standing,” he said.

You know how everyone keeps saying now’s a great time to buy a house? tiffany on sale from all the sales going on it’s apparently also a great time to buy jewelry, which may be even better because it’s cheaper, doesn’t involve a 30-year commitment and looks shiny and pretty when you put it on.

OK, so maybe there’s not the return on investment potential there, but the instant gratification of buying something beautiful and cheap might make up for that.

If you’re worried about not having enough extra cash for a jewelry-buying spree, your dollars may get you a lot more than you bargained for at Kingoff’s Jewelers Front Street store, which is selling its entire inventory down to the walls in preparation for its move to Hanover Center in October after 90 years in downtown Wilmington.

The store’s owners are calling it the “sale of the century” because items are marked down to what they call “ridiculously low prices” and “pennies on the dollar,” including giftware. The savings started last week and will continue as moving day draws closer, so the sooner you shop the better selection you’ll find. discount tiffany is closed on Sunday.

On the Web: www.kingoffs.com

Another shiny sale

Speaking of jewelry, just a couple of blocks from Kingoff’s another big sale is going on, but this one’s not due to the closing of a store but the closing of a season.

JP Jewelry & Accessories, 248-1 N. Front St., is having an “End of Summer Sale” with up to 50 percent off items through September. Stop by to browse the selection and register to win a Tiffany necklace to be given away in an Aug. 31 drawing.

On the Web: www.jpjewelryonline.com

Brides get something back

Getting hitched soon? Both Wilmington Belk locations, Independence Mall and Mayfaire Town Center, are having an In-store Wedding Expo 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

Start or add to your wedding registry with the help of certified bridal consultants while getting information from other local wedding businesses that can help with planning the big day of your dreams. It’s free and open to the public. If you register as a result of the expo, you’ll receive a $25 gift card to be used with a minimum purchase of $75 through Oct. 4.

On the Web: www.belk.com

Supplies savings

The sales tax holiday is over, but you can still get some great back-to-school deals to get the kids ready for the first day and beyond. Walmart has a special bargain collection that includes the following items for $9 each: an elementary school supplies basics bundle, lunch kits, notebooks, a flash drive, a tiffany jewelry on sale calculator, socks and underwear packs, backpacks, sneakers, eyeglass frames, tops and tees. And Walmart will match the price of any local competitor’s printed ad for an identical product.

On the Web: www.walmart.com

Great buy for going green

Think buying green materials for your home is out of your price range? Before you write off the environmentally friendly route, check out Sapona Green Building Center’s Marmoleum click-on flooring sale through Aug. 31. The sustainable and natural floating floor in select colors with easy, glueless installation is discounted to $3.95 per square foot from $5.99. The material is the first floor covering to be certified by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America as asthma- and allergy-friendly and comes with a 25-year warranty.

On the Web: www.saponagreen.com

A winning deal

You could be next! Jessica Worriax, Hanover Center’s first Shopping Made Easy Raffle winner, recently arrived at stores with her guests in a chauffeur-driven limousine, where she spent $150 in shopping money she won as part of the contest. The limo, from Above the Rest, came with champagne and goody bags. Hanover Center will choose a winner monthly from those who fill out the online form found at the “Shopping Made Easy” link, so start clicking!

On the Web: www.hanovercenter.com

Taste and see

Spectrum Art & Jewelry, 1125-H Military Cutoff Road, is having an open house and wine tasting 6-8 p.m. Friday. Featured artist Sarah James, a glass beadmaker, has a collection of popular jewelry that will be on display.

On the Web: www.spectrumartandjewelry.com

New arrivals for “Project Runway” fans

Are you a “Project Runway” fan? The designs of former contestant Carol Hannah are discount tiffany at Ziabird Studio Inspired Jewelry & Accessories in Lumina Station, and the shop is celebrating from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday.

On the Web: www.ziabird.com; www.carol-hannah.com

Read Judy Royal’s column weekly for great deals and fun finds at local shops. Send tips to Judy.Royal@StarNewsOnline.com.

Like many of his competitors, Hummer dealer Jim Lynch is fighting for Return to Tiffany heart tag Charm and bracelet.

Unlike the rest of them, Lynch reached for a gun. Lots of them, actually.

Faced with declining sales and an uncertain future, his Chesterfield dealership has expanded in a direction that’s drawing national attention. It’s what happens when you replace some of those pricey Hummers with dozens of Glocks, Sig Sauers, Colts, Berettas and Brownings.

For Lynch, those guns are the solution to a problem that’s been hounding him for months.

“We’ve got a beautiful building with a big mortgage,” Lynch said. “The Hummers weren’t going to cover it.”

In the good old days — way back in 2005 — Lynch’s dealership could sell 70 Hummers during a strong month. But high gas prices, a sour economy and the auto industry’s ongoing struggles have wreaked havoc. These days, he’s happy to watch 10 of the gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles leave the lot. But the money he pockets selling guns makes up for the profit on about 15 Hummers.

But why guns? Why not flowers? Or lawn mowers? Or jewelry?

That’s easy. The people who like Hummers also tend to like guns. They’re like Matt Massa of St. tiffany ring, who dropped by the dealership Tuesday to have a look around.

“I work outdoors. I shoot outdoors. I hunt outdoors,” said Massa, who, by the way, also drives a Hummer.

Lynch’s dealership, which made the change in mid-July, isn’t the first to link guns to automobiles. A dealer in Kansas City, for example, grabbed headlines recently with his offer to include an AK-47 rifle with every pickup sold this month.

But Lynch may very well be the first dealer in the U.S. to turn part of his business over to the gun trade.

A spokesman for the National Auto Dealers Association said he hadn’t heard of anything similar. More common are dealerships that offer things likes restaurants, spa facilities and driving ranges.

For Lynch, this may be just the beginning of the transformation.

Four of his sales offices have been cleaned out and turned into shotgun and rifle displays. Floor space once set aside for a massive Hummer now provides counter space to show off the shop’s handguns. He hired a Glock sales representative to help run the operation.

Later, they may expand the outdoor offerings to include things like kayaks, canoes and archery supplies. And he’s pushing to build a shooting range on the 60-acre off-road course behind the dealership.

It’s almost as if Lynch is planning for a day when he’s no longer a Hummer dealer. It’s hardly far-fetched, considering what’s happened to dealers here and across the nation who have lost their franchise agreements. Hummer’s own fate is unclear, with General Motors attempting to sell the brand to China’s Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. in a deal that could close next month.

Diversification just makes sense, said Michael Lowenbaum, a St. Louis attorney who Return to Tiffany Heart tag ring dozens of auto dealers in the region.

Dealers who have lost their franchises this year are scrambling to stay in business. Many are turning to the used car business or focusing on service and repairs. Some are looking into new products, including scooters and battery-powered cars.

For now, though, few have ventured outside of their automobile comfort zone. “But give it a couple months,” Lowenbaum said. “It’s all still so new.”

Not everyone, however, is thrilled with Lynch’s sudden change of direction.

Hummer spokesman Nick Richards said the dealership never asked to make the change — a violation of its sales and service agreement, which requires the automaker’s approval of any new line of business on the property. Richards would not say where the automaker stands on the gun sales. But he said they would try to find a solution that works both for Lynch and Hummer.

“You let one go off and do whatever — regardless of how it fits with the brand — and you potentially open the floodgates,” Richards said. “Who knows what the next dealer will want to do?”

If Hummer and GM do balk at Lynch’s diversification, that won’t be a huge surprise to tiffany earring Testa, a marketing professor at Cabrini College in Philadelphia.

It would be in line, he said, with the unimaginative way the U.S. auto industry operates.

“That’s how these car companies got themselves into this mess,” Testa said. “You’d think they would be very open-minded. But that’s not always the case.”

It’s an issue that’s certain to be watched by locals like Eric Schnellmann of Wildwood.

He’s not the typical Lynch customer. He doesn’t own a Hummer. And he doesn’t buy guns.

Yet there he was late Tuesday morning, strolling through the dealership marveling at the assortment of handguns, rifles and shotguns. He was just happy, he said, to see the dealership try something different.

He said it might actually give people a reason to drive to the western edge of St. Louis County, especially if the dealership succeeds in its efforts to open the shooting range.

“The area needs another thing to do,” Schnellmann said. “What else are we going to do? Heart tag charm Toggle bracelet up another Putt-Putt golf course?”

The St. Clair County Community College issued the following press release:

Tickets are on sale for the SC4 Foundation’s sixth Red Carpet Affair at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7, in Port Huron.

The formal gala raises money to support St. Clair County Community College. The event will be in tiffany ring college’s Citizens First Michigan Technical Education Center.

New this year will be Dancing with the “Local Stars,” allowing guests to “vote” for their favorite local dancing couple. All proceeds benefit scholarships. The seven couples include representatives of the SC4 Foundation Board of Directors, SC4 Board of Trustees, SC4 Alumni Association Board and friends of SC4.

The gala will feature 12 area restaurants offering specialty food items. Dancing music will be provided by disc jockey Mike Mullins.

Highlights of the evening also will include a drawing for seven fine jewelry pieces donated by tiffany earring Jewelers, which cosponsors the event with Citizens First.

Event tickets are $75 per person. For tickets, call Donna Blay at (810) 989-5761.

Jewelry drawing tickets are $10 each and may be bought in advance or the evening of the event. Winner need not be present to win.

The SC4 Foundation raises money to benefit the college and the students it serves.

For more information, including the list of dancing couples, jewelry pieces, restaurants and charm bracelet, visit www.sc4.edu/redcarpet. For more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.

Bulgari SpA returned to profit in the third quarter and said the gradual improvement in sales in the tiffany earring, particularly at directly owned stores, was continuing through November.

We hope [it] will continue in the months to come, Bulgari chief executive officer Francesco Trapani stated Thursday.

After losses in two straight quarters, the Italian jeweler reported net profits of 7 million euros, or $10 million, for the three months through Sept. 30, from 23 million euros, or $34.7 million, in the same period last year. Revenues declined 9 percent to 233.2 million euros, or $333.3 million, from 256.2 million euros, or $366.2 million, hurt significantly by de-stocking in the wholesale channel.

In the first nine months of the year, Bulgari reported net losses of 33.5 million euros, or $45.8 million, from net profits of 77.2 million euros, or $117.5 million, on revenues that declined to 629.5 million euros, or $860.4 million, from 762.5 million euros, or $1.16 billion.

Dollar figures were converted at average exchange rates for the periods to which they refer.

Trapani told WWD in March that Bulgari would cut jobs, reduce the number of products and close charm bracelet stores, such as in Palm Beach, Aspen and New York’s Madison Avenue. He said Thursday he was very satisfied with the initial results of these restructuring efforts, which exceeded expectations.

The group will continue to focus strongly on efficiency, Trapani stated. At the same time, management is working hard to provide an even more competitive offer and stimulate further demand. To this end, I am pleased to announce that a series of important and particularly innovative projects in terms of strategic approach, product, communication and customer service will start from the first months of 2010.

He gave no further details.

Third-quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization fell to 35.9 million euros, or $51.3 million, from 42.6 million euros, or $64.2 million. At Sept. 30, net debts amounted to 328.4 million euros, or $489.3 million, roughly in line with the same date last year.

By product, accessories were the only category to record sales growth, increasing 2.9 percent to 16.6 million euros, or $23.7 million. Sales of jewelry fell 9.7 percent to 96 million euros, or $137.2 million; watch sales dropped 17.7 percent to 54.3 million euros, or $77.6 million, and sales of perfumes and cosmetics slipped 0.8 percent to 60 million euros, or $85.8 million. The company added that based on orders and turnover, it was reasonable to assume the destocking of perfumes was reaching its end.

Bulgari also noted its products performed better worldwide in its directly owned stores. Sales of jewelry fell 4 percent, and watch sales slipped 6 percent, while sales of accessories in Bulgari stores dedicated to the category grew 11 percent.

By region, overall sales were down 30 percent in Japan, 23 percent in Europe and 20 percent in the U.S. Sales frank gehry 16 percent in the rest of Asia and 53 percent in the Middle East and other countries.

For full daily stock changes and more financial news, seeWWD.com/business-news.

GE Money, Sales Finance continues to be one of the most active providers of consumer financing to retailers big and small across the United States. Heading into the traditional holiday shopping season, Sales Finance has added a number of new programs and announced renewed or expanded relationships with many long-term partners, representing more than 30,000 business locations nationwide.

Over the past month, Sales Finance announced new agreements including:

– Edwin Watts Golf – Launched last week, the Edwin Watts and GE Money Sport Finance program can be used at any of the company’s 70-plus domestic retail locations, and will be available for catalog and online purchases in 2010.

– The Tile Shop – Since 1984, The Tile Shop has grown from one store in Minnesota to 43 locations nationwide. The Tile Shop revolving credit card is part of the GE Money Home DesignSM program and can be used for the purchase of tile, supplies, tools, rentals, and installation and maintenance services.

– Oreck – The Oreck Power Card is available through 450 Oreck Clean Home Centers, as well as through its online store for the purchase of homecare items, including a variety of vacuum, air purification and other cleaning products.

– 1-800-Mattress – 1-800-Mattress offers products from most major manufacturers and has served more than two million customers over the past 30 years.

– Fender Musical Instruments Corporation – The Fender program is a manufacturer-sponsored agreement, rolling out to Fender’s 3,000 dealer locations in mid-December.

Extensions have also been completed with a number of partners including:

– Husqvarna – Since 2004, consumers have used the Husqvarna financing program to purchase outdoor power products for forestry, lawn and garden care.

– Bassett Furniture – Over the past century, Bassett Furniture has grown to some 130 stores, offering a range of home furnishings and accessories. The Bassett Furniture Credit program has provided consumers with flexible payment options since 1998.

– KTM Power Sports – Established in 2002, the KTM installment-financing program is offered through more than 375 dealers across the U.S.

– Steinhafel’s Furniture – Originally formed in 2004, GE Money recently extended the Steinhafel’s Furniture Card program with this leading Wisconsin-based furniture retailer.

– Bernina – Considered to be the premier manufacturer of sewing and embroidery systems, sergers and embroidery software, Bernina products are sold in the U.S. through a network of more than 500 dealerships. The financing program has been in place since 2002.

– Pep Boys – One of the leading sellers of replacement tires in the U.S., Pep Boys has more than 570 retail stores, offering full-service vehicle maintenance and repair capabilities and payment options through the Pep Boys Credit Card program, which launched in 1996. The Company plans to add 40 locations for fiscal 2010.

“Sales Finance has been meeting the financing needs of consumers and Main Street retailers for decades, enabling businesses to offer installment and promotional financing to their customers. Since announcing the launch of our Web-based finance management portal GE Money Business Center in July, we’ve signed and announced an array of new sales financing agreements with more than one dozen small- to larger-sized independent businesses,” said Glenn Marino, Sales Finance’s president and CEO. “Today, we proudly provide consumer financing through more than 145,000 small to medium sized business locations retail locations across the United States.

Financing For Bicycles, Furniture, Flooring and More

In June and July, Sales Finance announced new deals with Art Van Furniture (Warren, Mich.), Michigan’s leading furniture retailer; mountain bike manufacturer and retailer Giant Bicycle; dealers of Dacor (Diamond Bar, Calif.) luxury appliances; MEGA Group USA, a buying group representing 2,300 stores; and Rooms to Go – Puerto Rico, expanding the existing relationship with Rooms To Go, Americas’ number one independent furniture company with more than 100 stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Rooms To Go was recently featured in GE Capital’s American Renewal campaign.

In August, Sales Finance announced a multi-year program with ABC Warehouse (Pontiac, Mich.), a leading consumer electronics retailer in the Midwest, followed in September by an agreement with the Western Home Furnishings Association, representing more than 1,000 furniture retailers across the country.

Agreements announced in October included Carsmetics (Tampa, Fla.), an express accident services business with shops in Florida and California, Lumber Liquidators (Toano, Va.), the nation’s largest hardwood flooring company, and the National Association of Diesel Motorsports.

About GE Money

GE Money’s Sales Finance unit, based in Kettering, Ohio, is a part of General Electric Company’s GE Capital division, (NYSE: GE), which has extended more than $146 billion of credit to some 50 million consumers in the U.S. since January 2008. Visit GE Capital: Advertising to learn more about GE Capital’s role in the American renewal.

GE Money provides credit card programs and financial services for consumers through dealers; national, regional and independent retailers; associations; contractors; manufacturers; healthcare practices; and service providers in nearly 20 industries including: automotive, consumer electronics and appliances, elective health care, floor covering, home design and improvement, home furnishings, jewelry, music, powersports, outdoor power equipment and sporting goods. More information can be found at www.gemoney.com, www.gecapital.com and twitter.com/gecapitalnews.

GE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. GE is Imagination at Work. For more information, visit www.ge.com, www.gereports.com and twitter.com/ge_reports.

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Despite a weak start to the holiday shopping season and snowstorms on historically big spending days, the nation’s retailers managed to have a better Christmas than in 2008, according to the latest data.

“Santa moved from critical to stable condition,” said Michael McNamara, vice president for research and analysis at SpendingPulse, an information service of MasterCard Advisors.

Sales in December were up year over year in nearly every major retailing category, Mr. tiffany jewelry on sale said on Tuesday. Stores did not discount as deeply as they did in 2008, he added, which suggested that they might have preserved their profit margins.

SpendingPulse, which estimates sales for all forms of payment including cash, checks and credit cards, does not publish an industry number for the entire Hanukkah and Christmas season. Mr. McNamara, however, estimated that the retailing industry turned in a 1.7 percent sales increase in November and December compared with the period a year earlier.

The results were good, though not great, considering that Christmas 2008 was the worst in decades. And last month’s sales were also helped by a calendar shift that gave retailers an extra selling day before Christmas. So while sales in big retailing categories stabilized, they remained well below the highs of 2006 and 2007.

The definitive verdict on the holiday shopping season will come on Thursday, when individual tiffany jewelry sale stores report their December sales results. On Tuesday, analysts at Thomson Reuters predicted that the industry would post a 2 percent increase in December sales; they declined 3.6 percent in December 2008.

Those results, while closely watched by Wall Street, nonetheless account for a small piece of the overall retailing pie. Monthly retailing reports issued by the government tend to show relatively small percentage changes because they include huge categories like food, automobiles and gasoline.

From Dec. 1 to Jan. 2, big holiday categories fared better year over year, according to SpendingPulse. The results were also an improvement from November.

Sales of electronics rose 7.3 percent in December compared with the period a year earlier. That was also a better performance than in November, when sales increased 6.6 percent year-over-year.

Sales of jewelry increased 6.9 percent from the period a year earlier, an improvement from the 4.6 percent year-over-year rise reported in November. Sales of luxury goods not including jewelry — a sector that experienced an extreme decline in 2008 — rose 5.5 percent in December compared with a year earlier. In November, year-over-year sales in that category declined 7.3 percent.

E-commerce sales in December also climbed 17.7 percent year over year; Internet sales in November were up 12.3 percent. Mr. McNamara said winter storms might have helped increase online sales as consumers shopped from home instead of braving the elements. He also said that small, less-expensive purchases — for music or for mobile applications — seemed to bolster those online sales. Two long-struggling categories, department stores and clothing, continued to post declines.

Sales at department stores fell 2.3 percent in December, compared with a 0.9 percent decline in the tiffany bracelets period. Even so, the December result was an improvement on November, when sales fell 8.6 percent year-over-year.

Sales of clothing declined 1.8 percent in December compared with the period a year earlier, when year-over-year sales fell 8.9 percent. The December result was an improvement over the 5.7 percent year-over-year decline in November. Within the clothing category, sales of women’s apparel fared worst, declining 2.8 percent compared with 2008. Sales of men’s clothing increased 2.6 percent year-over-year, while sales of shoes, a relatively robust category these days, climbed 6.2 percent.

The appliance category was the only one to perform worse in December than in November, according to SpendingPulse. After a 3.5 percent year-over-year sales increase in November, sales of appliances declined 2.6 percent in December compared the period a year earlier. Mr. McNamara said the $8,000 federal tax credit for first-time home buyers might have helped the category shine in November. But he also said that the December decline could simply represent a pause in sales. After all, dishwashers and refrigerators are not wildly popular Christmas gifts.

Over all, the SpendingPulse results are in line with what several retailing professionals predicted for the season: a 1 or 2 percent difference from Christmas 2008. After a tepid November, it appears December sales lifted the holiday season’s results.

The International Council of Shopping Centers, an industry group, said on Tuesday that sales at major retailing chains were up 2.5 percent year-over-year for the week ending Saturday.

“For the final week of the fiscal month of December, post-Christmas sales were boosted by consumers tiffany on sale their gift cards,” Michael P. Niemira, the council’s chief economist, said in a statement. “Holiday sales were late in coming, but showed healthy gains as the season wrapped up.”