Budgets/Spending/Market Size

Armonk, N.Y. -- Jewelry will be one of the brightest categories for U.S. retailers this holiday season, according to a new analytics-based forecast by IBM. Jewelry sales are set to hit $2.6 billion In November, up 7.7% over the year-ago period, IBM reported, and $5.4 billion in December, up 4% over last year.

New York City -- Research released Wednesday by PwC found that retail and consumer executives are spending less on security due to insufficient capital, but that they maintain confidence in their information security, despite an increase in security incidents.

Norwalk, Conn. -- A report released Wednesday by GE Capital found that the majority of retail CFOs are fairly optimistic about their industry, even though the outlook for the economy has soured.

According to the GE Capital Middle-Market CFO Survey, 58% of retail CFOs believe their revenues will increase in 2011. However, that has dropped from 80% in the first quarter. Less than half – 42% -- expect to increase capital expenditures, up from 38% in the first quarter.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores will hold its annual meeting in Rogers, Ark., near its Bentonville, Ark., headquarters on Wednesday, and said the meeting focus will be on reversing the decline in its U.S. Walmart stores’ business.

The retailer is also expected to share information about its upcoming holiday strategies and discuss capital spending plans.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- A report released Tuesday by Kronos said that the retail hiring levels have reached the highest mark in nearly three years. The Kronos Retail Labor Index, which characterizes the current state of the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector, rose to 3.9% in September, reflecting a strong gain in hires and a modest decline in applications, all on a seasonally adjusted basis. (A level of 3.0% means that for every 100 applications received, three hires occurred).

New York City -- The Conference Board Employment Trends Index, released Tuesday, showed a decrease in September to 100.95, down from the revised figure of 101.37 in August. The September figure is up 4.4% from the same month a year ago.

The NPD signed a point-of-sale cooperation agreement with Sam’s Club, the Wal-Mart Stores division, to receive and analyze sales information from Sam’s Club U.S. clubs and SamsClub.com.

Under the agreement, NPD will receive point-of-sale data from Sam’s Club, increasing NPD’s tracking coverage for clubs and e-commerce and providing its clients with a more robust view of market activity in these channels. NPD will also become Sam’s Club’s primary provider of point-of-sale and consumer panel information in the General Merchandise categories.

NEW YORK — An overwhelming majority (72%) of U.S. consumers expect their holiday spending to be “careful” or “controlled” in 2011, according to Accenture’s annual consumer holiday shopping study. Discounts, sales and prices are still top of mind this holiday, with 40% of consumers saying an item being on sale is the single most important factor in their decision to purchase.

It is still very early in the holiday season and anything could happen from a pricing perspective. However, with that as a caveat, it appears Target and Walmart are in a virtual dead heat when it comes to toy pricing, according to a survey by Citigroup’s senior retail analyst Deb Weinswig.

Reston, Va. -- Mobile phones drive digital traffic around the world, but tablets are gaining steam, according to a new report released by ComScore. The report, “Digital Omnivores: How Tablets, Smartphones and Connected Devices are Changing U.S. Digital Media Consumption Habits,” found that smartphones and tablets are driving nearly 7% of total U.S. digital traffic.

Key findings highlighted in the report include: