Seasonal

Foster City, Calif. - American households with teens are reining in prom spending in 2014. According to a new survey of 4,000 consumers by Visa, the American average household will spend $978 in 2014 on the prom.

That's down more than 14% from the average $1,139 families spent on items including attire, limousine rental, tickets, and dinner in 2013. The sharp decrease follows three years of steady increases. By way of comparison, Canadian households will spend about 25% less than American households, at $723.

Washington, D.C. -- The average American celebrating the Easter holiday in 2014 will spend an average of $137.46 on apparel, food, candy, gifts and more. According to the National Retail Federation’s Easter Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, this is slightly less than the $145.13 spent last year.

Atlanta – Havertys reported a 2.5% drop in sales during the first quarter of fiscal 2014 compared to the same period in the prior year, falling to $181.4 million from $186.1 million. Same-store sales declined 0.9%.

Clarence H. Smith, chairman, president and CEO of Havertys, said severe winter weather did not negatively impact all of Havertys locations.

For the fifth consecutive year, Amelia Island Florida is offering exclusive savings to Harris Teeter VIC (Very Important Customer) cardholders through a partnership between the Amelia Island Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) and Harris Teeter.

Available April through December 31, VIC cardholders will receive discounts at 25 businesses, including Amelia Island hotels, restaurants, activities and shopping.

Santa Barbara, Calif. – Shopper activity rebounded in March 2014 from the prior month, but traffic and engagement lagged compared to March 2013. In-store retail analytics provider Euclid, released its monthly retail benchmarks report to analyze shopper activity and behavior during the month of March, measuring data from tens of millions of domestic shopping sessions.

Friendswood, Texas — The 1.2-million-sq.-ft. Baybrook Mall in Houston is getting another 550,000 sq. ft. The mall owner, General Growth Properties, and the landowner, a CDC Houston-managed entity, have formed a joint venture to carry out he project. Work will begin in early May and completed by the 2015 holiday season.

When the winning team cuts down the net after Monday night at the NCAA Men’s Championship game they will do so from atop a customer built nine foot Werner brand step ladder.

By Shelley E. Kohan, VP, retail consulting, RetailNext; instructor, Fashion Institute of Technology

Consumer confidence is 10 points higher than this time last year. Spring weather forecasts show April will be warmer than average for many areas. So, how can retailers optimize sales during this season? Learning from last year’s data and trends is a great place to start.