Seasonal

RCS Real Estate raises close to $2,000,000 for bankrupt Anna's Linens at auction
RCS Real Estate Advisors announced today that it secured almost $2,000,000 at auction for home goods chain Anna's Linens, which filed for Chapter 11 on June 14.
Holiday forecast: Cold temps, hot sales

Favorable weather, an extra shopping day and new tech gadgets should attract more shoppers this holiday season, according to a new report.

The U.S. Holiday 2015 Forecast from the FBIC Group says retailers should expect a happy holiday 2015 selling season, with combined spending in November and December to rise between 3% and 4% over 2014 levels to between $626 billion to $633 billion.

ShopperTrak: Holiday sales to rise 2.4%

Price-conscious consumers looking for a good deal are expected to fuel a sales surge on Black Friday, but not enough to lift overall holiday sales higher than last year, according to ShopperTrak.

The analytics firm predicts that Black Friday 2015 will surpass Black Friday 2014 due to the shopper who is motivated by sales and exhibits a growing tendency toward shopping earlier. In addition, an early Hanukkah, which begins 10 days sooner this year than last, will generate November sales at the expense of December.
Amazon.com is increasing its holiday workforce by 25%

Amazon.com is increasing the number of workers it is hiring for the holidays this year to meet an increase in customer demand, revealing a possible shift in the way consumers shop.

The retailer says it plans to hire more than 100,000 seasonal employees this year. It hired 80,000 seasonal employees in 2014.
Shoppers not spending, shifting online

Consumers’ intentions often differ materially from their behavior and retailers better hope that is the case this year or it won’t be a happy holiday, according to the latest consumer research from the National Retail Federation.
Yorkdale Shopping Centre adding pop-ups, high-tech messaging service

Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto is hoping to engage holiday shoppers with a series of pop-up shops and a online/texting messaging concierge service.

Yorkdale's holiday pop up shops include:
Survey: Most U.S. shoppers hate Black Friday

Most U.S. shoppers dislike Black Friday, but a third of them say they're planning to spend more than $500 that weekend anyway, according to a new survey.
Sports Authority enters the holiday hiring game

Sports Authority is joining other top retailers with plans to fortify their employee ranks for the holidays.

The sporting goods retailer announced it will hire 3,500 temporary employees across the country to meet consumer demand during the 2015 holiday season. All Sports Authority locations will begin hiring in mid-October and continue through December. Sports Authority plans to convert hundreds of seasonal workers into permanent Team Members after the holidays.
Sports Authority enters the holiday hiring game

Sports Authority is joining other top retailers with plans to fortify their employee ranks for the holidays.

The sporting goods retailer announced it will hire 3,500 temporary employees across the country to meet consumer demand during the 2015 holiday season. All Sports Authority locations will begin hiring in mid-October and continue through December. Sports Authority plans to convert hundreds of seasonal workers into permanent Team Members after the holidays.
RetailNext: Holiday sales expected to climb only 2.8%

A sluggish economic recovery will prevent sales from rising more than 2.8% this holiday season, according to analytics firm RetailNext.

Last week, the National Retail Federation estimated a 3.7% increase in holiday sales, slightly less than last year. Deloitte also called for a 3.5% to 4% increase. This week the International Council of Shopping Centers predicted a 3.3% increase.

RetailNext's forecast for U.S. retail stores this holiday season (November – December) includes:
Santa's sleigh will be powered by drones

Best Buy has formed a retail partnership with the manufacturer of what is expected to be one of the hottest selling items in consumer electronics this holiday season.

The retailer is teaming up with Yuneec International to offer the Typhoon drone series, which includes the Typhoon Q500 4K and Typhoon G multicopters, as well as the Typhoon Wizard, a new ultra-lightweight remote control drone.
Featured Content: Top 3 strategies to optimize revenue this holiday season

As the holiday season creeps up and Black Friday is just around the corner, successful companies are finalizing plans to maximize their seasonal revenues. A holiday retail sales forecast from eMarketer estimates a year-over-year increase of 5.7%, hitting an all-time high of $886 billion. To help retailers capture a larger slice of the expanding holiday pie, digital marketing services company eClerx Digital has identified three top strategies focused on optimization.