Winter Holidays

Holiday sales declined at Best Buy and the company reduced earlier guidance even though CEO Hubert Joly said the company’s seasonal strategy was well-executed. What’s up with that?

In fact, lackluster consumer interest in electronics led Best Buy to report a decline in same store sales of 1.4% over the nine week period ended Jan. 2. Revenue declined .8%.

Toys “R” Us says its annual nationwide fundraising campaign to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation raised more than $5.8 million and collected over 200,000 toys.

During the 2015 campaign, customers helped bring holiday joy to some of the 15.5 million kids in need across the U.S. by donating new, unwrapped toys at Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us stores nationwide and through monetary contributions made in stores and online at Toysrus.com/ToysforTots.

Big 5 Sporting Goods had a lackluster fourth quarter despite saying that cold weather in its Western markets drove strong traffic during the holidays.

For the fourth quarter ended Jan. 3, the company reported that net sales were $275 million, compared to net sales of $250.3 million for the 13-week fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. Same-store sales increased 0.1%. For the full year, net sales were $1.03 billion, compared to net sales of $977.9 million for the 52-week fiscal 2014 full year. Same store sales increased 1.3% for the fiscal 2015 full year.

New York & Co. was able to rise above headwinds from unseasonable weather during the holidays to an increase in same-store sales.

The company says same store sales increased 1.6% during the holiday period and that it expects same-store sales for the full quarter to increase in the low single-digit percentage, in line with the company’s previously disclosed guidance.

Burlington Stores says a big decline in cold weather apparel led same-store sales to be mostly flat over the holiday season.

Tom Kingsbury, president and CEO at Burlington Stores, said: “While we are pleased with the strong response to our gift assortments especially in fragrances, bath and body and home, these increases have been offset by headwinds affecting our cold weather assortments, especially in coats and outerwear. Accordingly, we now expect comparable store sales to be approximately flat for the fourth quarter.”

Another batch of retailers released holiday results this week and provided further evidence that an unusual blend of economic factors and evolving shopping behaviors made for a strange holiday season.

A just-released holiday survey reinforces the dominance of the omnichannel shopper.

Nearly one-third (32%) of shoppers the past holiday season used the click and collect method – with 69% of these shoppers purchasing additional items in the store when they went to pick up the item and 36% making another purchase in an adjacent store, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Holiday Consumer Purchasing Trends study.