Events

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart is upping the ante on holiday shopping. The chain announced that, starting Saturday, Nov. 1, it will reduce prices on more than 20,000 items. Walmart is also launching its holiday promotions on the first weekend in November to get a jump on what is expected to be a highly competitive selling season.  

Wayne, N.J. –- Toys 'R' Us Inc. is releasing The Great Big Christmas Book, the company’s annual holiday gift guide. More than 8 million Toys 'R' Us customers will receive a special edition of The Great Big Christmas Book, with deals valid Sunday, Nov. 2 through Saturday, Nov. 22, plus several “Ultimate Wish Saturday” events to be held throughout the month.  

By Mike Kercheval, President and CEO, International Council of Shopping Centers  

GameStop has joined forces with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for another season of giving.  For the second year, GameStop will participate in the annual St.

Office Depot, Inc. is continuing its holiday initiatives.  The merchant, formed by the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax, has announced its “Your Holiday Workshop” campaign being kicked off across all store locations and online on Nov. 2. 

To address the volume of early shoppers, Office Depot and OfficeMax will unveil exclusive daily and weekly product deals from its most popular shopping categories including technology, printers, and furniture alongside other business and home office supplies.

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop is opening a new store location in the Brill Building in Times Square in New York City on Tuesday, Oct. 28. This seasonal pop-up shop offers an assortment of proprietary products, licensed properties and New York City-themed merchandise.   

A strong start to holiday season at Toys “R” hinges on a carefully curated offering of merchandise offered online and in a catalog known as The Great Big Christmas Book being distributed to households this week.

St. Louis –- Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. swung to a profit in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 from a loss in the same quarter a year earlier. The retailer also announced that will open five pop-up stores for the 2014 holiday season, including one in Macy’s Herald Square flagship in New York City, and its State Street location in Chicago.   

Bloomfield Hills, Mich. --Taubman will offer a special "Frozen"attraction at 10 of its shopping centers across the country from Nov. 6-Dec. 24. The attraction comes a few days before Disney releases its "Frozen Sing-Along Edition" DVD on Nov. 18.

St. Petersburg, Fla. –- HSN is offering a range of special events and deals for the 2014 holiday season. The interactive retailer will offer special “Black Friday” sale events on Nov. 7, 14 and 21, and also run its annual “Thanksgifting Weekend” event Thursday, Nov. 27 to Monday, Dec. 1 with special “Doorbuster” sale items.