Events

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Wednesday by Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, found that retailers are in tune with the last-minute shipping intentions of the average consumer.

According to Shop.org’s 2012 eHoliday Study conducted by BIGinsight, 45.7% of retailers will end standard shipping promotions by Monday, Dec. 17, in direct response to the average consumer’s tendency to wait until the last minute to finish holiday shopping.

WEST AURORA, Ill. — Gatorade and USA Today High School Sports have named Lauren Carlini of West Aurora High School as the 2012-13 Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year.  

Carlini received the news at West Aurora High School from 2012 Olympic silver medalist April Ross, who earned Gatorade National Volleyball Player of the Year honors in 1999-00.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than a tour of a CPG company’s headquarter?

The SC Johnson company is proud of its corporate campus designed by legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright and is offering free tours it contends make for a great activity for families and guests visiting the company’s home town of Racine, WI.

Denver -- Office Depot will celebrate the ‘Office Depot Grand Opening Street Party” on Dec. 15 in downtown Denver. The one-day action sports exhibition was created to showcase Office Depot’s new store concept and kick off the company’s commitment to being one of the sponsors of X Games Aspen 2013.

We’ve all seen the footage that’s become an annual ritual for media outlets reporting on Black Friday: long lines, stampeding crowds and frantic shoppers. But the real drama is how stores fare once the dust settles, and this year was no exception. The length of the lines isn’t the ultimate Black Friday metric; it’s the bottom lines for retailers around the country that tell the tale.

Atlanta -- Dollar volume growth remained solid at 5.8% in November, down from 6.7% in October, according to the First Data SpendTrend analysis for the full month of November 2012 compared with November 2011. SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.

New York -- Give your new store and renovation projects the recognition they deserve:  Entries are now being accepted for the 31st annual Chain Store Age Retail Store of the Year Design Competition, which will celebrate outstanding retail and restaurant design.  More than 20 categories are featured, ranging from supermarkets and discount/mass merchants to specialty stores and pop-up stores. Entries may be submitted by retailers, designers, architects or suppliers.

Check out Walgreens' newest flagship store in Southern California. Click here.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Columbia Sportswear Company will sponsor three freestyle ski teams during the 2012-13 World Cup season and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Russia completes the trifecta, having signed on with Columbia this year. It joins Canada, which signed up in 2008 and the United States, which signed on last year.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As part of its 12 Days of Giving Facebook campaign, Walmart will distribute more than $1.5 million to 140 grant recipients in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., throughout the next 12 days.

The winning nonprofits were selected from more than 21,677 nominations submitted in November by Facebook users who felt compelled to enter and describe the community impact made by their favorite nonprofit organizations.