Retail Roundup: Netflix, TiVo Team-up, Stimulus Checks Not to Be Spent on Shopping, and More

(MoneyWatch)  Netflix, TiVo team-up to attract new customers -- Rather than sticking to their core businesses like many companies do in tough economic times, Netflix Inc. and TiVo Inc. are teaming up to roll out a new service. The pair are reviving a plan first announced in 2004 and partnering to stream movies and TV shows to TiVo users' digital video recorders from Netflix. TiVo will now offer Netflix subscribers access to thousands of films and TV episodes. The collaboration offers both companies access to new technology, and both CEOs have issued statements describing their excitement regarding the many possibilities the partnership may bring. [Source: internetretailer]

Stimulus checks may not be enough to prod consumers into spending -- Although some members of Congress are considering issuing economic stimulus checks to Americans to boost holiday spending, a survey released Nov. 4 stated that only 39 percent of consumers expect to spend the extra cash. According to the study, commissioned by the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman Sachs, 38 percent of Americans would save the money and 18 percent would use the funds to pay down debt. The tax rebate distributed earlier this year also yielded mixed results: 29.3 percent of consumers saved it, 37.1 percent used the money to pay down debt, and 33.5 percent reported spending it. [Source: The Dallas Morning News]

Election causes more retail-industry discussion -- Considering the presidential campaigns became increasingly intertwined with the ups and downs of the retail industry (just think of the headlines dissecting the fashion choices of Michelle Obama and Sarah Palin), it's only fitting that the election's resolution sparked more retail chatter. Firstly, although the stock market closed Nov. 4 before poll results were in, investors happy to soon learn who the next president would be pushed retail shares up 3.6 percent. Retail-industry talk resumed shortly after Barack Obama took the stage as president-elect when viewers weighed in on Michelle Obama's Narciso Rodriguez gown. Roughly three dozen Web users were quick to respond when "Heard on the Runway" posed the question: "What do you think of the new First Lady's look?" Additional Nov. 5 "Heard on the Runway" blog posts were devoted to Maria Pinto, the designer who crafted many of Michelle Obama's recent looks, and a slide show of First Lady staples. [Source: DNR, BNET, Heard on the Runway]

dEliA*s sells CCS to Foot Locker --- Foot Locker Inc. closed its purchase of CCS from dEliA*s in a $103.2 million cash transaction announced Nov. 5. "We are very pleased with our acquisition of CCS, the leading direct-to-consumers retailer in the U.S. that sells skateboard footwear, apparel, and accessories through catalogs and the Internet," said Foot Locker CEO Matthew D. Serra. [Source: MSN Money]