Winter Holidays

There is a new lifestyle publication in circulation — and it’s the product of two diverse companies.

Real estate developer Simon has joined with media company Conde Nast to produce a 98-page publication – Simon Magazine – designed to provide readers with the latest must-haves and must-dos, from fashion and beauty to dining and travel. It’s the first time Conde Nast has worked with a brand to create custom editorial content on such a wide scale.

The CEO of Kirkland's blamed disappointing third quarter sales on traffic problems that he expects to persist into the fourth quarter despite the busy holiday season ahead.

Stein Mart says warm weather is to blame for its lackluster performance in the third quarter as the company makes plans to increase promotions to improve its top-line growth.

The off-price retailer said that for the third quarter ended Oct. 31, same-store sales fell 2.3%. Total sales also dropped 1% to $300.7 million during the same time period. Profits dipped to $82.2 million, or 27.3% of sales compared to $84.6 million or 27.8% of sales during the same time period in 2014.

An analysis of Amazon.com’s holiday pricing for its best-selling items reveals two key strategic trends.

According to research from product intelligence technology provider 360pi, Amazon’s top two price dynamic categories: were best-selling office/school products (55% repriced one day to the next) and best-selling toys/games (45%).

Other categories that saw a high level of price dynamism were electronics and clothing, which are both highly contested gift categories.

More robust omnichannel capabilities have Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly confident about his company’s ability to execute during the holidays, but his views on overall demand for consumer electronics are another matter.

Barneys New York is bringing an icy winter chill — literally — to its holiday windows.

Barneys New York is bringing an icy winter chill—literally—to its holiday windows.

With a theme of “Chillin’ Out,” the specialty retailer has transformed the windows of its Manhattan flagship into a winter wonderland, complete with 35-foot fully functioning ice locker that features daily live ice carving.

Retailers are advised to brace for a higher level of fraud online and across all channels this holiday season.

That’s according to ACI Worldwide, which based its recommendation on new benchmark data from millions of transactions from large global retailers. The company noted that fraud rates by volume have increased by 30%, compared to 2014 as consumers shop with more devices online and card issuers are slower to shut down accounts after fraudulent activity.