Business Intelligence Provider Hoover's Releases Mid-December Look At Top Holiday Retailers

For Immediate Release

AUSTIN, TEXAS (December 18, 2007) - With the holiday shopping season in full swing and two weeks to go till the new year, Hoover's, Inc. today announced a mid-December look at the biggest movers in the retail sector. Hoover's Retail Roundup is taken from the latest edition of The Hoover's Index, a free, proprietary monthly index of the top 1,000 leading public and private companies, non-profits, and associations which represent the brand leaders, up-and-comers, and "buzz" creators driving the U.S. and international economies.

"While Bloomingdale's and the Dollar Tree placed in the Top 10 of the latest edition of The Hoover's Index, other retailers moved up through the ranks thanks to a number of strategic initiatives," said Tim Walker, Hoover's industry expert. "The news behind the movement of these retailers in the last several weeks ranges from management changes and restructuring, to new marketing tactics and initial public offerings."

Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc.
(From rank #789 to #124)
Eddie Bauer the man climbed mountains, played tennis, invented the quilted down jacket, and built a reputation for quality in his outdoorsy goods. Unfortunately, his namesake brand has floundered in recent years, especially under the ownership of erstwhile catalog giant Spiegel. See complete analysis here.

American Apparel, Inc.
(From rank #626 to #65)
How big can a company get and still retain its outsider chic? That's the ongoing (happy) dilemma of American Apparel, purveyor of California-made T-shirts and other basic garments for the young, the hip, and those who wish they were. See complete analysis here.

Visa Inc.
(From rank #781 to #13)
For retailers, there are plenty of doubts swirling around the 2007 holiday shopping season. But while some segments look glum, Visa is poised for success even if consumer sentiment is less than merry and bright. See complete analysis here.

The Retail Roundup Top Five for 2007 Holiday Season:

Rank	Company	Rev. ($ mil.)	Last Month Rank
13	Visa Inc.	1,277.6	781
34	The Yankee Candle Company, Inc.	687.6	1,000+
12	American Apparel, Inc.	38.6	626
74	Heineken N.V.	15,606.0	459
116	Jones Apparel Group, Inc.	4,742.8	927

To see the Top 10 list and complete analysis for The Retail Roundup, click here. Additionally, for those who would like direct delivery of news about the latest developments within The Hoover's Index, the Hoover's Hottest Companies newsletter is available here.

About Hoover's, Inc.

Hoover's, a D&B company, gives its customers a competitive edge with insightful information about industries, companies, and key decision makers. Hoover's provides this up-to-date business information for sales, marketing, business development, and other professionals who need intelligence on U.S. and global companies, industries, and the people who lead them. This information, along with powerful tools to search, sort, download and integrate the content, is available through Hoover's (http://www.hoovers.com), the company's premier online service. Hoover's business intelligence is also available through corporate intranets and distribution agreements with licensees, as well as via Hoover's books. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

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