Seasonal

Grand Rapids, Mich. - Meijer will open a supercenter in Danville, Ill., on Nov. 7, marking its final of six new stores the retailer has opened this year in the Midwest. The 190,000-sq.-ft. store has created 300 new jobs and provides local residents a 24-hour shopping option.

Kmart is planning to roll out lease-to-own financing at stores nationwide ahead of the holiday season. The retailer began testing the program in mid-October and plans to make it available in all stores by Nov. 22.

Customers will be able to take home items priced at $150 and more for no credit, including appliances, mattresses, furniture, lawn and garden equipment, consumer electronics, service plans and others. To qualify, customers must be at least 18 years old, earn at least $1,000 per month and supply a social security or tax identification number when applying.

Philadelphia – Native apps, or mobile apps developed in the native operating language of a hardware platform, figure prominently in the plans of many holiday shoppers. In a survey of 500 consumers conducted by Artisan Mobile, 80% of respondents strongly agreed or agreed that they are purchasing and browsing products on native apps more than ever before, and 77% intend to make purchases through a mobile and/or tablet app this holiday season.

Irving, Texas – Michaels is offering a free, interactive “Just Add Wishes” DIY site to help consumers with holiday needs. From Nov. 11 through Dec. 24, kids can interact with a live elf through streaming video.

BJ's Wholesale Club is spreading its Black Friday deals across an entire week (Sunday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Dec. 1), excluding Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 28. The retailer says it is offering more than twice as many Black Friday deals this year as it did last year.

Westborough, Mass. -- BJ's Wholesale Club is spreading its Black Friday deals across an entire week (Sunday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Dec. 1), excluding Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 28. The retailer says it is offering more than twice as many Black Friday deals this year as it did last year.

Framingham, Mass. – Holiday shoppers are seeking omni-channel solutions. According to a new national survey from Staples, two-thirds of consumers say they are equally as likely to purchase gifts online as they are to shop in-store.

The Staples study also reveals that 87% of gift shoppers admit they’ve had problems buying presents during the holiday season and 63% of gift givers report that nearly half of the people on their list are difficult to buy for, causing stress and frustration.

Other findings include:

LeapFrog Enterprises is rolling into the holiday with its strongest product lineup ever but concerns about consumer spending have the leading educational entertainment company tempering its view of fourth quarter sales.