Winter Holidays

Holiday sales will increase between 3.5% and 4%, slower than last year’s 5.2% growth, as favorable economic tailwinds are offset by lingering negatives, according to an annual forecast by Deloitte’s Retail and Distribution Practice.

Pervasive online price comparisons, the growing popularity of Amazon.com and intense omnichannel activity can be expected this holiday season, according to new consumer research by Market Track.

The workforce at Macy’s will swell by 50% in the coming month as the department store retailer looks to elevate service levels during the holiday season.

Macy’s said it plans to hire 85,000 workers, versus 86,000 last year, for temporary positions at its Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores, call centers, distribution centers and online fulfillment centers. The company had roughly 167,000 employees at the end of its fiscal year on Jan. 31, 2015.

October will be over in a flash, and with it, all eyes will be on the holiday season, which is measured from November 1 through December 31.

The 2015 retail calendar has several distinctions, as we saw Memorial Day fall on the earliest possible date and Labor Day on the latest possible date. This holiday season, there are 28 days between Thanksgiving (not counting the actual day) and Christmas, which is an average amount for the period separating the two holidays.

More associates working more hours to elevate the customer experience is the pledge Walmart COO Judith McKenna is making to holiday shoppers this season.

The day after Kohl’s, Toys “R” Us and UPS announced ambitious holiday hiring plans, Walmart said it would add 60,000 seasonal workers after giving existing workers the opportunity to pick up extra hours.

CBL is giving shoppers with kids a fun reason to visit its centers.

CBL & Associates Properties and Playtime have entered into a multi-year partnership with Fisher-Price, Inc., a leading infant and preschool toy manufacturers, and a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc., to design soft play areas at select CBL centers nationwide.

Online shoppers will do anything to quality for free shipping-even spend more money.

Sixty percent of holiday shoppers say they have increased their online spending in the past to qualify for free shipping, according to the 2015 Holiday Shopping Survey from Pitney Bowes. 

Kohl’s and Toys"R"Us are among the first retailers to announce their holiday hiring plans this year, and the numbers are more or less the same as last year for both companies.

Toys”R”Us plans to hire 40,000 employees at its stores and distribution centers throughout the country (about 5,000 less than last year). The retailer also plans to allow seasonal workers the opportunity to take on significantly more hours than in previous years, while also continuing to provide extra hours to current employees.