Seasonal

Target is working its way across Canada beginning this week by hosting special events in 20 cities to build interest in the planned opening of 124 stores in 2013.

Mississauga, Ontario -- Target will sponsor a tour across Canada that will visit more than 20 communities ahead of the planned opening of its stores in the country, the retailer said Tuesday.

The tour will start in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and conclude in British Columbia in the middle of December. Target plans to open 124 stores in Canada starting in March and April 2013.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Tuesday by the Conference Board showed that consumer confidence rose in November to the highest level in more than four years.

The confidence index climbed to 73.7, the highest since February 2008, from a revised 73.1 reading the prior month, indicating that U.S. household spending will keep growing.

A median forecast of 75 economists surveyed by Bloomberg projected a reading of 73.

SEATTLE — It’s no surprise that on the heels of record-breaking Cyber Monday sales, heavyweight Amazon reported record sales of its popular Kindle devices.

Cyber Monday 2012 proved to be the biggest day ever for Kindle sales worldwide, cementing the top four spots for Kindle e-readers and Kindle fires on Amazon’s worldwide bestsellers list. The Kindle devices have held the top four spots since their launch nearly three months ago.

To celebrate Cyber Monday, Amazon.com offered the Kindle Fire for $129.

Abysmal sales at J.C. Penney haven’t deterred the company from pursuing a series of unique cause marketing activities around a potential new holiday tradition focused on giving back.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney said Tuesday it has launched its nationwide Holiday Giving Tour, which entails a 12-day giving spree during which the retailer carries out acts of generosity in a new city each day.

Events include Christmas tree lighting, ice skating, Santa visits and tobogganing.
 
The tour kicks off Nov. 27 with a live holiday performance by Grammy Award-winning artist John Legend, followed by free ice skating, skate rentals and hot chocolate in Manhattan's Citi Pond at Bryant Park.

Chicago -- ShopperTrak reported Tuesday that it estimates retail foot traffic over the Black Weekend shopping period rose 8.2% year-over-year. That equates to more than 594 million store visits between Thursday and Monday.

Retail sales increased 2.7%, with shoppers spending about $22 billion across the weekend's four days. Thursday's "door-buster" deals drove sales and traffic earlier in the weekend.    

NEW YORK — On Wednesday, Nov. 28, Chainstoreage.com will unveil an exclusive and revealing look at how shoppers felt — what turned them on and off — on two of the busiest and most critical retail days of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The Holiday Shopper Sentiment Report: Black Friday and Cyber Monday Consumer Face-Off by SAP will explore real-time trends and insights that will inform the next generation of retail.