Seasonal

San Leandro, Calif. - The U.S. retail sector will add nearly 30,000 jobs through the end of December as the country heads into a strong holiday shopping season. According to a study from HR services provider TriNet, recent job growth in the U.S. retail sector is built on positive consumer confidence, increasing retail spending, and positive job market outlook.   

San Francisco – Some people complain about customers who put off holiday shopping till the last minute, but Banana Republic is welcoming them with open arms. Banana Republic is offering “The Procrastinators Event,” a special promotion for last-minute shoppers, from Dec. 17-22.   

More than 3,200 military members, veterans and their families attended the Holiday for Heroes event at Mall of America.

The mall, working with Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, invited attendees to enjoy unlimited rides at Nickelodeon Universe, free breakfast at Hard Rock Cafe, a military resource fair, visits with Santa, an ugly sweater photo booth and prizes valued at more than $200.

This is the first year Mall of America has hosted Holiday for Heroes.

Banana Republic is taking an innovative approach to last-minute holiday shoppers this year: top-notch perks and special discounts for procrastinators.

The company will be offering a “Procrastinators Event,” a special promotion for last-minute shoppers, from Dec. 17-22.

New York - Even in a digital age, young women still love shopping malls—especially during the holidays. According to a survey of female millennial shoppers from Teen Vogue, 65% of respondents will do the majority of their holiday shopping in stores, compared to 35% who will do most of it online. The top reasons why respondents said they would rather go to a mall than shop online during the holiday season was to see products (75%), hang out with their friends (44%), and bond with their mom (37%).  

Wayne, N.J. – Toys ‘R Us Inc. shrunk its net loss to $213 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 from $605 million in the year ago, helped by expense controls and a less intense promotional enviroment.  The retailer, however, did not provide an outlook for its holiday performance.  

HSN is looking to drive more sales by leveraging the popularity of former NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal with a new product line.

HSN and O’Neal will be selling a new collection near and dear to his heart: DRONE Precision Timepieces, a range of men's and women's watches.

Think young shoppers want to buy everything online? New research from Teen Vogue suggests otherwise.

Teen Vogue asked its millennial readers about their holiday shopping habits and findings related to all manner behaviors throw cold water on the notion that malls are dead or dying.

New York - Fifty-one percent of consumers say saving money is their top priority this holiday season, and  40% are driven by finding the right product. Those are among the findings of a recent survey conducted by RSR.  

City of Commerce, Calif. - 99 Cents Only Stores reported a loss loss and a decline in same store sales in the third quarter.   The company reported a loss of $3.8 million in the third quarter, ended Oct. 31, compared to income of $1 million in the prior year quarter.   Net sales increased by 5.0% to $478.3 million.  Same store sales decreased 0.7% compared with the prior year quarter.