Seasonal

Wayne, N.J. – Toys ‘R Us is offering exclusive benefits, including early access to Black Friday deals, to members of its Rewards ‘R Us loyalty program. Members will receive a special offer granting them access to Black Friday deals on 100-plus items, both in-store and online, beginning Sunday, Nov. 23.

Boca Raton, Fla. – Polaroid is opening three locations of its Fotobar experiential retail concept in the Los Angeles area, with the first debuting Nov. 18 at Westfield Culver City. The 300-sq.-ft.micro-stores offer a cube shape and Polaroid Color Spectrum logo, and customers can take a seat at the Fotobar and transform their pictures instantly from their smartphone, Facebook or Instagram  into three different size Polaroid pictures which can be collected in unique Polaroid shadowboxes or other picture accessories.  

Framingham, Mass. – The TJX Companies Inc. met Wall Street expectations with net income of $594.96 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, down 4% from $622.65 million in the same quarter the prior year. Net sales rose 5% to $7.37 billion from $6.98 billion, short of Wall Street expectations.

The fourth quarter is off to a very strong start at TJX Companies, according to CEO Carol Meyrowitz, who expects an exciting mix of initiatives to yield a low single digit fourth quarter comp increase and profit growth.

For many shoppers, it’s that time of year to skip the holiday meal, devise a shopping strategy and get in line, right?

Well, not if you are a Toys”R”Us Rewards member.

The company is now among the growing ranks of retailers looking to create an aura of exclusivity with shoppers by promoting early access to the hottest holiday prices.

The retailer plans to give its nearly 19 million loyalty program members a sneak peek of Black Friday deals on more than 100 items beginning Nov. 23.

Increased use of tablets and smartphone this holiday season will help online sales grow 16% to a record $61 billion, but desktop computers still dominate, according to the online measurement firm comScore.

The company said online sales during the November and December timeframe would be primarily driven by desktop computers, but noted that mobile devices are growing at a faster rate. Spending using desktop computers is projected to grow 14% to $53.2 billion while mobile commerce is projected to grow 25% to $7.9 billion and account for 13% of total e-commerce sales.

Los Gatos, Calif. -- Forty percent of holiday shoppers use mobile shopping apps. According to a new poll of 1,000 U.S. consumers from Wanderful Media, parent company of local sales site Findnsave.com, 51% of shoppers are very interested in receiving mobile notifications regarding holiday deals and sales, and 20% of them have already signed up to receive mobile sale alerts.  

New York -- During the 2014 holiday season, marketers will run more campaigns on Facebook than any other social network. According to new data from Experian Marketing Services, 49% of global marketers who run social-media campaigns will do so via organic Facebook posts, and 34% plan to use paid ads or boosted posts.   

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. is offering an exclusive holiday app, “Santa's Merry Mission.” On the Team Santa site, children can take a personality quiz to determine which of the eight reindeer is their favorite, and then follow the steps to create their own plush toy.   

Chicago -– During the upcoming winter, Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino will convert nearly 6,000-sq.-ft. of open space into four new retail destinations by welcoming M•A•C Cosmetics, Desigual and Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics and opening a larger, renovated House of Hoops by Foot Locker. M•A•C Cosmetics opens in December, followed later in the winter by global apparel retailer Desigual.