Seasonal

A spat with a toy vendor could make for a difficult holiday shopping season for Sears Holdings.   Due to claims of financial difficulties, reports claim that toy manufacturer Jakks Pacific has halted sales of its Star Wars and Disney Princess toys, among other merchandise, to “a major U.S. customer," which was presumed by some to be Kmart, according to CNBC.  

The role of smartphones in the evolution of mobile commerce has hit an epic status.   Mobile e-commerce, through both apps and browsers, jumped 60% in 2015 to reach $120 billion. More importantly, smartphones alone are generating $0.70 for every $1 made in mobile commerce, according to “Mobile Online Retail Payments 2016: Reinventing Shopping in a Mobile-First Era,” a report from Javelin.  

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.  

Target Corp. is letting the cat out of the bag early with regards to its next limited edition apparel collection.   The retailer announced its limited-edition spring collaboration will be with popular designer Victoria Beckham. The collection will be available April 9, 2017, at all Target stores and Target.com, the collection. In addition, select pieces from the collection will be available for sale internationally via Victoriabeckham.com.  

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.  

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.