December 29 – Holiday Spending Up 3% Over Last Year
Retail holiday spending during the 2023 holiday season rose just over 3% year over year, according to data from Mastercard SpendingPulse. From: Hardware Retailing
December 27 – Container Store Names Chief Digital Officer; Senior VP of Stores
The Container Store has made two additions to its executive leadership team. From: Chain Store Age
December 26 – Southeastern Grocers Marks Many Milestones in 2023
In 2023, Southeastern Grocers and the SEG Gives Foundation donated more than $3.7 million to 1,300-plus community partners throughout the grocer’s market area. From: Progressive Grocer
December 26 – Zulily Goes Out of Business, Plans to Liquidate
After only seven months under new ownership, Seattle-based online retailer Zulily is winding down its business. From: Retail Dive
December 22 – Nordstrom Continues Off-Price Push with New Rack Locations in 4 states Next Fall
The stores range between 24,000 square feet and 34,000 square feet, per its press releases. From: Retail Dive
December 21 – H-E-B Breaks Ground on Joe V’s Smart Shop in Dallas
Retailer ramps up competition in Metroplex with both larger- and smaller-format banners. From: Progressive Grocer
December 20 – Target Brings Dog Mascot Bullseye to Las Vegas Sphere for Holiday Blitz
The outdoor placement emulating a snowglobe, live through Dec. 22, depicts an 11-story Target based on gingerbread houses and the largest iteration of dog mascot Bullseye to date, standing at around six-and-a-half stories tall. From: Retail Dive
December 20 – Meijer Surprises Customers, Team Members with Holiday Shopping Sprees
“Very Merry Meijer reflects the giving spirit of the holiday season in our stores, which are such fun and joyous places during this time of year,” said Rick Keyes, president, and CEO of Meijer. From: Drug Store News
December 19 – Reviewing the Retail Plot Lines of 2023
The HomePage News team has been busy the past couple of weeks compiling and featuring special year-in-review galleries showcasing many of the new products across home and housewares covered by HomePageNews.com the past year. From: HomePage News
December 19 – ISM: Economy Should Strengthen in 2024
Economic improvement in the United States will continue in 2024, according to purchasing and supply management executives polled for the December 2023 Semiannual Economic Forecast published by the Institute for Supply Management. From: HomePage News
December 19 – Big Shopper Turnout Expected for Super Saturday
Popular destinations for last minute shopping include online, at 49%; department stores, at 38%; discount stores, at 28%; clothing and accessories stores, at 26%; and grocery stores, at 19%. From: HomePage News
December 19 – Target Applying AI for the Holidays and Beyond
“We do it via Target Circle, our loyalty program, and on Target.com, helping guests find the products and deals that are most relevant to them,” Brett Craig, Executive VP and Chief Information Officer said. From: HomePage News
December 18 – Small, Midsize Retailers Face Mounting Theft-Related Shrink Challenges
34% of SMB retailers pointed to a rise in shrinkage over the past 12 months, and 46% experienced more theft at their stores. From: HomePage News
December 19 – Dom’s Unveils Plans for First Suburban Store
Like Dom’s urban stores, the Vernon Hills one will include grocery aisles, prepared meals and Dom’s coffee and wine bar, The Brew. From: Grocery Dive
December 18 – The Container Store Opens Its 100th Location
The Container Store is slated to open its next store in Spring 2024 in Gaithersburg, MD. From: HomePage News
December 18 – Costco Beats Street in Q1 with Boost from Appliances
Costco Wholesale Corp. came out ahead of an analyst estimate for its first quarter as earnings and comps gained with help from nonfoods. From: HomePage News
December 15 – Retail Among Service Sectors That Grew in November
The Institute for Supply Management reported economic activity in the services sector, including retail, expanded in November for the 11th consecutive month. From: HomePage News
December 15 – NRF Debuts Retail Sustainability Center
The NRF Center for Retail Sustainability will serve as a hub to support efforts to generate economic value while creating net positive environmental, social and community gains. From: HomePage News
December 15 – Macy’s Spotlights Gifts for Late Shoppers
In Macy’s Gifts We Love, a curated assortment developed by the retailer, consumers find products offered across a range of categories such as home, fragrances, fine jewelry, apparel and toys. From: HomePage News
December 14 – ICSC: Physical Stores Critical to Supporting Online Sales
In the report, The Halo Effect III: Where the Halo Shines, quantified the impact of opening or closing physical stores on digital sales and retailers’ overall performance. From: HomePage News
December 14 – BJ’s Promotes Housewares to Members Looking to Complete Holiday Shopping
BJ’s is offering a variety of discounts. Club members can find last-minute deals, including up to more than 40% off televisions and laptops, up to 40% off cookware and up to 30% off small appliances, the company noted. From: HomePage News
December 14 – Walmart Announces Deals, Delivery Plan for Last-Minute Shoppers
The company has dubbed its last holiday savings event as Walmart Deals – Ready, Set, Gift. The promotion runs through December 21 at 2 p.m. Eastern time, providing customers with fresh bargains on thousands of gifts in product categories such as home, tech, toys, and apparel. From: HomePage News
December 13 – Beyond Fireside Chat Reveals Corporate Priorities
The fireside chat was conducted by investment banking and asset management firm Needham and Co., and included Marcus Lemonis, chairman, Dave Nielsen, interim president and CEO, and Adrianne Lee, chief financial officer. From: HomePage News
December 13 – NRF: November Sales Suggest Consumers Are Embracing Promotions
General merchandise stores were up 1.03% month over month seasonally adjusted and 0.61% year over year unadjusted. From: HomePage News
December 13 – Michaels, PetSmart partner on holiday promotion
Michaels and PetSmart have partnered to offer discounts to one another’s customers, according to an announcement shared with Retail Dive From: Retail Dive
December 12 – Kohl’s Final Holiday Push Includes Daily Deals, AI Gift Guidance
Kohl’s is lining up new deals and attractions, including its AI-powered Storybook Magic initiative, to draw last-minute holiday shoppers. From: HomePage News
December 12 – Analyst: Buyout Bid Might Be Worth Macy’s Consideration
After a report about a potential buyout bid for Macy’s in the Wall Street Journal, Macy’s has found itself in the spotlight as action on the stock market drew attention to the unconfirmed rumors and analysts began to speculate on the likelihood of such a transaction. From: HomePage News
December 12 – Dollar General among fastest growing brands for Gen Z TikTok users: report
Nearly half (46%) of Gen Z shoppers have considered buying items from Dollar General. That share grew to 56% for Gen Z TikTok users and 60% of daily TikTok users, per the report. From: Retail Dive
December 11 – Safety Considerations Impacting Retail Workers, Managers
Researchscape reported increases in petty theft at 54%, grab-and-run incidents at 35%, and hostile customer interactions at 31% over the past year. From: HomePage News
December 11 – NRF: Resilient Economy Bodes Well for Ongoing Holiday Spending
NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said, “The U.S. economy is on track to end 2023 with vigorous growth for the year.” From: HomePage News
December 11 – NRF: October Import Peak Signals Solid Economic Prospects
For 2024, NRF noted, indications are that monthly volume growth will continue, with the January forecast at 1.93 million TEU, up 6.6% year over year. From: HomePage News
December 11 – Lemonis Named Sole Chairman of Beyond as Abraham Steps Down
Beyond announced that Allison Abraham is leaving her co-chair position as it continues making changes in its executive suite and board. From: HomePage News
December 8 – BJ’s Opens 2nd Club in Tennessee
As it widens its footprint, BJ’s is in growth mode in other ways. In November, the company reported a strong third-quarter performance. From: Progressive Grocer
December 8 – RH Q3 Turns to Loss as Headwinds Bite
For the third quarter, RH posted a significant earnings miss as it turned to a loss, although the company will continue moving forward on key initiatives including store growth. From: HomePage News
December 8 – Beyond Cites Cyber Week Gains, Slates Online Address with New Co-Chair
In a joint statement, Dave Nielsen, Beyond interim CEO and president, and Adrianne Lee, CFO, explained the company is successfully deploying capital to grow its active customer base. From: HomePage News
December 8 – Dollar General to Open 800 Stores in 2024: Q3 Tops Street
During the third quarter, Dollar General opened 263 new stores, remodeled 545 stores, and relocated 44 stores. From: Progressive Grocer
December 7 – Ollie’s Q3 Tops Expectations as Consumers Hunt for Value
Comparable-store sales increased 7% while total sales for the quarter increased 14.8% to $480.1 million from the year-earlier previous period, the company reported. From: HomePage News
December 7 – Amazon Hits Third-Party Sellers with Updated Fee Structure
Amazon’s Dharmesh Mehta, vice president, worldwide selling partner services, revealed in a blog post the contents of an email Amazon sent to its third-party selling partners detailing fee updates in the year ahead designed in part to incentivize designated actions. From: HomePage News
December 6 – Meijer Taking Neighborhood Market Concept to Cleveland
The Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland is set for the opening of the Fairfax Market by Meijer on January 16, 2024. From: HomePage News
December 6 – Shopping Centers Report Strong Thanksgiving Weekend Traffic
Over the five-day period, the former International Council of Shopping Center reported that 78% of adults in the United States, or 201.5 million people, shopped and/or purchased, the same percentage as in 2021. From: HomePage News
December 6 – Joann Touts E-Commerce, Holiday Prospects After Q3 Miss
Joann missed third-quarter Wall Street estimates on sales and earnings while citing double-digit e-commerce growth as a positive development. From: HomePage News
December 5 – Newegg Gift Guide Features Home Goods Presentations
Gift list categories include gifts for the home, gifts for foodies, gifts for the outdoors, gifts for gamers, top tech gifts, gift cards and toys. From: HomePage News
December 5 – Numerator: Amazon, Walmart Led Black Friday Weekend Sales
As part of its holiday-related research, Numerator noted that Black Friday was the most popular shopping day, at 89%, of Cyber Weekend, followed by Cyber Monday at 47% and Small Business Saturday at 45%. From: HomePage News
December 4 – Conference Board: November Consumer Confidence Ticked Up
Consumers’ assessment of current business conditions was, on balance, slightly more positive in November, as 19.8% of consumers said business conditions were good, up from 18.3% in October. From: HomePage News
December 4 – Walmart Marketplace Makes Black Friday/Cyber Monday Strides
In working with marketplace sellers, Walmart Fulfillment Services achieved its four highest volume sales days ever. From: HomePage News
December 4 – December Events Propel Ikea Through the Holidays
To reward customers Ikea U.S. re-introduced a new lower prices initiative to meaningfully boost affordability on hundreds of items across the company’s product range in all U.S. stores and on ikea.com. From: HomePage News
December 4 – Shipt Curates Product Collections to Ease Holiday Shopping
The December 4 kickoff includes a $49 annual membership offer, down from $99, the Target-owned operation noted. From: HomePage News
December 1 – Ulta’s Oyibo Moving to CFO After Setterston Retirement
Ulta Beauty announced Paula Oyibo, Ulta’s senior vice president of finance, will succeed retiring Scott Setterston as CFO, effective April 1, 2024 From: HomePage News
December 1 – Sam’s Club Expanding Distribution Network
Sam’s Club plans to open two new distribution centers in early 2024, one each outside St. Louis and Minneapolis. From: HomePage News
December 1 – Kirkland’s Q3 Comps Slide but Earnings Beat Street
The third quarter held incremental gains at Kirkland’s Home, the company asserted, with a Wall Street beat on earnings despite a significant comp decline. From: HomePage News
