Winter Holidays

A perfect storm is brewing for risqué product sales with Valentine’s day falling on a Saturday and coinciding with the release of the erotic film Fifty Shades of Grey.

Just as retailers such as Toys “R” Us, Kohl’s and Target offer extended hours ahead of Christmas, the 13-unit Hustler Hollywood chain is viewing this weekend’s confluence of events as a major sales opportunity.

Beverly Hills, Calif. -- Adult retail operator Hustler Hollywood is taking advantage of the traffic surge expected by the Valentine's Day weekend release of Universal Pictures' "Fifty Shades of Grey." The retailer announced that select locations will open their doors on the morning of Feb. 13 and remain open round-the-clock until end of business on Valentine's Day.

New York -- Shoppers will be opening both their hearts and their wallets this Valentine’s Day. According to a new study from IBISWorld, total holiday spending will increase 3.8% from 2014, to $139.70 from $134.56.

Revenue from candy is expected to rise 3%, and will maintain its position as the category with the most consistent growth over the past five years. This segment’s popularity is due to its easy availability and its varied pricing based on the manufacturer and quality of ingredients.

Austin, Texas – The husband or boyfriend who forgets to buy Valentines flowers until late in the day Feb. 14 now has a safeguard. Whole Foods Market and the Instacart grocery delivery app are offering Valentine’s flowers delivered in as little as one hour across 15 major U.S. metros.

San Jose, Calif. – Consumers appear to have been feeling a seasonal hangover after what some analysts have called a relatively strong 2014 holiday season. According to the monthly Retail Performance Pulse for January 2015 from RetailNext, store sales and traffic both declined 7.7%

Cincinnati – Post-holiday returns serve as a way to ensure the stress of the holiday season lasts into the New Year. According to a survey of about 1,200 adults by loyalty program provider LoyaltyOne, one out of every two U.S. shoppers (51%) say that returning gifts adds to their post-holiday stress.

Sales of an exclusive holiday cookbook will allow Dillard’s to donate more than $900,000 to of Ronald McDonald House Charities.   For the seventh year in a row, Dillard's offered for sale a special edition of the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook to benefit RMHC.   

San Francisco -- Shopper traffic in January dropped 7% year-over-year as harsh winter storms amplified the shift of shopping to online and mobile, according to Euclid’s monthly retail benchmarks report which analyzes shopper activity and behavior during the month of January. In-store engagement improved more than expected during the low traffic, post-holiday month, but it is unclear how much the longer visits benefitted sales.