Winter Holidays

Just as retailers like Walmart and Target unveil their top toy lists ahead of the holiday shopping season, Toys“R”Us has revealed its 2014 Holiday Hot Toy List. The annual list of 36 items is determined by Toys“R”Us play experts and packed with a wide range of brand new toys and games.

Target has entered the “top toy” fray with a list filled with familiar brands, exclusive offering and boutique products designed to inspire creative play and reinforce Target’s differentiation.

Every holiday season is filled with uncertainty, and this year is no different, except when it comes to e-commerce, where the only unknown is the size of the sales increase.

Brookstone president and CEO James M. Speltz has resigned. The product development company and specialty retailer with 240 stores in malls and airports across the U.S has appointed chief merchandising officer Steve Schwartz as interim president and CEO.  

Carle Place, N.Y. – 1-800-Flowers.com net income almost sextupled to $3.1 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, compared to $538,000 in the previous year period. Continued focus on leveraging its operating platform helped boost net income.

Carle Place, N.Y. — 1-800-Flowers.com net income jumped to $3.1 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 compared to $538,000 in the previous year period. Continued focus on leveraging its operating platform helped boost net income.

Walmart released its top toy list for 2014 the same day Toys “R” Us unveiled holiday strategies at its flagship store in New York.

Philadelphia – Five Below Inc.’s profit  more than doubled to $8.3 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2014, from $4.1 million in the same period last year. Its results beat expectations. The chain issued a third-quarter earnings estimate slightly below Wall Street views, while increasing its full-year sales and earnings guidance.

Revenue in the quarter increased 30% to $152.5 million. Same-store sales increased by 3.2%.