Seasonal

Plano, Texas -- The J.C. Penney Co. Inc. will open stores and begin its Black Friday sale activities at 5 p.m. local time on Thanksgiving Day. The company announced its plans via a tweet on the official JCPenney news account.   This start time is an hour earlier than the 6 p.m. Thanksgiving opening time of competing department stores Macy’s and Sears, and three hours earlier than the 8 p.m. opening time Penney used for Thanksgiving 2013.   

Los Angeles -- Lifestyle brand Paul Frank is launching a pop-up shop at the Paramount Hotel in New York City, now through Jan. 30, 2015, with omnichannel features. Customers can participate in two digital activations featuring the face of Paul Frank, Julius the monkey.

Clearwater, Fla. - Net income at MarineMax Inc. fell 2% to $5.2 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 from $5.2 million in the fourth quarter of the previous fiscal year. Damages received in connection to the 2010 Deepwater oil spill during the fourth quarter of 2013 helped produce a year-over-year decline in MarineMax’s net income.   Revenue grew 10% to $164.1 million from $149.7 million. Same-store sales increased approximately 10%.   

Los Angeles -- Lifestyle brand Paul Frank is launching a pop-up shop at the Paramount Hotel in New York City, now through Jan. 30, 2015, with omnichannel features. Customers can participate in two digital activations featuring the face of Paul Frank, Julius the monkey.   

Big Lots celebrates families and mothers in particular through its national holiday television and online campaign launched on Nov. 1.

The campaign features four original songs - one in Spanish - which are intended to inspire sing-alongs.  The spots feature a singing trio that includes "America's Got Talent" finalist Deanna DellaCioppa, a Boston native who has performed with Stevie Wonder and Diana Ross. 

In this campaign, Big Lots emphasizes a special role mothers play in celebrating the holidays. 

Enchanted holidays are ahead for Saks Fifth Avenue and its shoppers.  On Monday, November 24, Saks’ flagship store in New York will debut An Enchanted Experience – a new show featuring the unveiling of the store's holiday windows and a dramatic light display incorporating the entire building.

The Rockettes will perform on the opening night with a line of 36 dancers on the streets of Fifth Avenue.  The windows and light display presented exclusively by Master Card will continue throughout the holiday season.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holiding Company joined the growing list of retailers with extended shopping hours on Thanksgiving and Black Friday.   Sears and Kmart stores will open on Thanksgiving Day, with Sears opening at its earliest time ever: 6 p.m, two hours earlier than last year. Kmart will open its doors for 42 hours straight, from 6 a.m. on Thanksgiving to midnight on Black Friday.

New data from JLL’s 2014 Holiday Sentiment Report, which includes feedback from 800 largely national or global retailers in JLL-managed shopping centers across the United States, suggests retailers are optimistic about store performance, but are fighting the “survival of the fittest” match.