Events

Plano, Texas -- The J.C. Penney Co. Inc. will open stores and begin its Black Friday sale activities at 5 p.m. local time on Thanksgiving Day. The company announced its plans via a tweet on the official JCPenney news account.   This start time is an hour earlier than the 6 p.m. Thanksgiving opening time of competing department stores Macy’s and Sears, and three hours earlier than the 8 p.m. opening time Penney used for Thanksgiving 2013.   

Clearwater, Fla. - Net income at MarineMax Inc. fell 2% to $5.2 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 from $5.2 million in the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal year. Damages received in connection to the 2010 Deepwater oil spill during the fourth quarter of 2013 helped produce a year-over-year decline in MarineMax’s net income.   Revenue grew 10% to $164.1 million from $149.7 million. Same-store sales increased approximately 10%.   

Big Lots celebrates families and mothers in particular through its national holiday television and online campaign launched on Nov. 1.

The campaign features four original songs - one in Spanish - which are intended to inspire sing-alongs.  The spots feature a singing trio that includes "America's Got Talent" finalist Deanna DellaCioppa, a Boston native who has performed with Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross. 

In this campaign, Big Lots emphasizes a special role mothers play in celebrating the holidays. 

The National Retail Federation has made a major change to the format and content of its annual trade show and convention, known as the Big Show, which is held every January in New York.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holiding Company joined the growing list of retailers with extended shopping hours on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.   Sears and Kmart stores will open on Thanksgiving Day, with Sears opening at its earliest time ever: 6 p.m, two hours earlier than last year. Kmart will open its doors for 42 hours straight, from 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving to midnight on Black Friday.

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue’s flagship in Manhattan will unveil its holiday window display and light show on Monday, Nov. 24. Presented by MasterCard, the show will integrate LEDs, strobes, up-lights, video projections and music.   

Englewood, Colo. -- Sports Authority will host grand opening events for its new and improved stores in the Las Vegas area on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 8 a.m.  

Ridge Hill, the Forest City Ratner-owned regional shopping and entertainment destination in Westchester, N.Y., will be the launchpad for DreamWorks Animation’s “North Pole Adventure,” a first-of-its-kind experience that blends storytelling and cutting-edge technology—taking families on an interactive journey that starts with Shrek and ends with a personal visit with Santa.

 

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2014, at 2 p.m. ET, Forever 21 and Oracle Retail offer a webinar about how technology can help retailers meet consumer demand with their assortments.   

The most expensive undergarment, a bejeweled brassiere, is back at Victoria Secret this year and, for the first time ever, there are two of them.