Seasonal

Bentonville, Ark. –- Wal-Mart is reportedly testing a price-matching program it may use for the upcoming holiday season. According to the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart is currently piloting price-matching with local competitors in brick-and-mortar stores but may expand the program nationally and include online competitors like Amazon.com.  

New York –- Holiday spending among U.S. consumers is expected to rise 1.9% in 2014 compared to the prior year. According to the 2014 Nielsen Holiday Retail Sales Forecast, which surveyed more than 25,000 demographically representative American households in September, 25% of respondents had already started holiday shopping in September.

On the heels of moderating expectations for its third quarter performance, Kohl’s announced plans to improve results during the holidays, including an around the clock opening schedule beginning at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day.

Kohl’s will open its doors at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day and remain open through midnight Friday, Nov. 28. The retailer will also offer a variety of omnichannel holiday services, including a daily “Today’s Deals” section on Kohls.com.

New York –- For the upcoming holiday season, Macy’s is introducing the Holiday Arcade---in-store gifting shops that will launch at six Macy’s locations from late October through mid-November, including Macy’s South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Calif., Macy’s Union Square in San Francisco, Calif., Macy’s Dadeland in Miami, Fla., Macy’s State Street in Chicago, Macy’s Herald Square in Manhattan, N.Y., and Macy’s Center City in Philadelphia. 

With technology products at the top of many wish lists this Christmas, The NPD Group’s top analyst covering the product category weighed in with a dozen expectations for the holiday season.

“The tech industry faces even more intense pricing and promotion than last year’s holiday shopping season,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. “The challenge of surpassing the impressive start to last year’s holiday season will be addressed head-on by the market’s emphasis on competitive offerings.”

By Mike Kercheval, President and CEO, International Council of Shopping Centers  

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot Inc. launches its “Your Holiday Workshop” campaign across all store locations and online on Nov. 2. “Your Holiday Workshop” efforts will include early Black Friday and “Every Monday is Cyber Monday” deals, and shopper services.   

Office Depot, Inc. is continuing its holiday initiatives.  The merchant, formed by the merger of Office Depot and OfficeMax, has announced its “Your Holiday Workshop” campaign being kicked off across all store locations and online on Nov. 2. 

To address the volume of early shoppers, Office Depot and OfficeMax will unveil exclusive daily and weekly product deals from its most popular shopping categories including technology, printers, and furniture alongside other business and home office supplies.