Reuters - Teen apparel retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co reported higher quarterly profit on Friday, topping Wall Street estimates, as a lower tax rate and a better gross margin helped offset the impact of lower same-store sales.

Reuters - Retailer J.C. Penney Co Inc reported a 50 percent drop in quarterly profit on Thursday as its middle-income shoppers pulled back on spending amid the U.S. economic downturn.

AP - The stock market notched its second straight daily advance Thursday, with investors assuaged by a pullback in oil prices and some better-than-expected economic data.

Reuters - Blockbuster Inc , the largest U.S. movie rental chain, posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as it cut costs by closing stores, reducing advertising and overhead expenses.

Reuters - J.C. Penney Co Inc said on Thursday its first-quarter profit dropped 50 percent as the retailer cut prices to clear unsold merchandise, and it forecast a similar profit drop for its current quarter.

AP - Luxury retailer Nordstrom Inc. said Thursday its profit fell 24 percent in the first quarter, as recession rumblings in the U.S. crimped even wealthier consumers' shopping habits.

AP - Department store stalwarts J.C. Penney Co., Nordstrom Inc. and Kohl's Inc. all reported steep drops in first-quarter profits on Thursday as Americans snub apparel to focus on basic necessities at discounters in a challenging economy.