Seasonal

Gift cards certainly have not lost their luster among holiday gift givers and recipients — or Albertsons.   Well aware that three in four consumers (73%) planned to give at least one gift card last holiday season, according to the Retail Gift Card Association (RGCA) reported, the grocery chain is ready to attract these shoppers again this year. In effort to grab these customers’ wallet share, Albertsons will add the Five Back Visa gift card to its gift card portfolio.  

Starbucks is bringing its new immersive store concept to Tokyo.   The coffee giant will open a Reserve Roastery in Tokyo, in 2018. Located in the Nakameguro district, an upscale neighborhood, the Roastery will be designed in collaboration with Kengo Kuma, a world-renowned architect and founder of Kuma Lab at the University of Tokyo.  

Neiman Marcus’s legendary Christmas Book turns 90 this year, but age has not dimmed its over-the-top appeal.   On Wednesday, the luxe retailer unveiled the 90th edition of its annual holiday catalog and, in keeping with past years, it includes a collection (12 to be exact) of indulgent—and very pricey — fantasy gifts.       

The Wet Seal is going to be very busy on Nov. 3.   That’s the day the retailer, in partnership with GGP, will open 13 holiday pop-up locations at GGP regional shopping centers throughout the nation.   "We see an opportunity for additional brick and mortar locations during the peak holiday season," said Wet Seal CEO Melanie Cox.    The temporary stores will range from 3,000 sq. ft. to 5,000 sq. ft. each.  

Black Friday may have lost some of its allure in recent years, but it still comes out on top in a ranking of the busiest shopping days.    Black Friday, which falls on November 25 this year, took the No. 1 spot in a ranking of the anticipated 10 busiest shopping days of 2016 by ShopperTrak, a Tyco Retail Solutions business unit. The second and third busiest shopping days are expected to be Monday, Dec. 26 and Friday, Dec. 23. (See end of article for the complete list.  

As the holiday shopping season “unofficially” gets underway, millennials are expected to lead the charge.   This early movement is also putting the season on pace to have the highest e-commerce sales revenue yet, according to the “2016 Holiday Initiative Summary Report,” from Criteo. The study reveals consumer holiday shopping behaviors, the role and impact of digital advertising, and e-commerce trends that retailers are urged to leverage in the upcoming months.   

Macy’s is not joining the ranks of retailers and mall operators who plan to close their doors on Turkey Day.     That’s according to BestBlackFriday.com, which tracks retailers' holiday hours and promotions. The research company said it received confirmation from five U.S. shopping centers that their Macy's locations would open at 5 p.m. Thursday.     

Neil Saunders, CEO of Conlumino, a New York-based retail research agency and consulting firm, offers the following insights on September sales results.