Seasonal

With two Pixar movies hitting theaters this year — Inside Out (June 19) and The Good Dinosaur (November 25) — Disney Consumer Products has a slate of innovative new toys in the works for retailers.

Both movies will have robust toy lines from Japaneses licensee TOMY, whose innovative approach, strength in international markets and ability to reflect Pixar’s unique storytelling in its product lines made them the ideal choice for Pixar Animation Studios’ most exciting year yet, the company said.

New York -- E-commerce in the United States in 2015 will top the $300 billion mark for the first-time ever, according to Forrester Research’s principal analyst Sucharita Mulpuru.

“This is big news,” Mulpuru said during a presentation at the National Retail Federation’s annual “Big Show” conference.  

Strong e-commerce growth and omnichannel contributed to a healthy holiday shopping sales season at Belk.

The nation’s largest family owned and operated fashion department store company reported a 5.2% increase in sales for the nine-week period ending Jan. 3. Same store sales for the same period increased by 4.8%.

New York -- Tiffany's holiday sales dipped 1% and the luxury jewelry retailer cut its full-year profit outlook. CEO Michael Kowalski said that sales in the Americas fell slightly during November and December, while sales in Japan remained soft. Sales in the Asia-Pacific region and in Europe climbed.

Despite a strong increase in same store sales, Genesco’s CEO says the company remains cautious about the rest of the fourth quarter.

Genesco Inc. reported that its same store sales, including both stores and direct sales, increased 10% for the quarter-to-date period ended Jan. 3, from the equivalent period last year. Same store sales increased 9% and sales for the company's e-commerce and catalog direct sales businesses increased 25% on a comparable basis for the period.

From Valentine’s Day to Christmas, the year is filled with big moments for retailers – but a retailer’s strategy should be much more than a numbers game during these times. Rather, these moments present an opportunity to build momentum for the entire year with a 360-degree brand strategy that gives shoppers an unforgettable experience that will keep them coming back.

To maximize the potential benefits of big retail moments throughout 2015, keep these five pillars in mind:

Santa did not bring any gifts this past holiday season for Toys "R" Us, as the toy retailer reported a drop in same store sales.

Toys “R” Us said same store sales in the United States fell 5%. The company said gross margins, however, improved, especially in the U.S., after the company was more "disciplined" in its promotional offers and more "rational" in its pricing strategy.

Surging sales at Old Navy helped parent company Gap Inc. post an increase in same store sales for November and December.

Gap’s same store sales for the November and December holiday shopping season increased 3%.

For December alone, the figure rose 1%, slightly above Wall Street estimates for a 0.7% increase, according to Thomson Reuters.