Seasonal

NEW YORK — Customers who shop at Macy's and Macys.com on Aug. 25 can feel extra good, as the money raised during this charity shopping event will help support March of Dimes, a leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.

MINNEAPOLIS — Wheaties is saluting two Olympic gold medalists by touting them on limited-edition boxes of the cereal.

The brand officially unveiled the boxes featuring swimmer Michael Phelps and professional beach volleyball player Misty May-Treanor.

"Michael Phelps and Misty May-Treanor have inspired others to get out and achieve their own personal best," said Jim Wilson, Wheaties marketing. "Wheaties is proud to honor them and to fuel athletes everywhere."
 

Sales for the second quarter ended July 28 increased 10.5% to $1.7 billion thanks to a 4.5% increases in same store sales and the addition of 77 new Dollar Tree stores, the company announced Thursday. Net income increased 25.6% to $119.2 million and earnings per share increased 30.8% to 51 cents. The profit performance met analysts’ estimates, but guidance for the third quarter in the range of 47 cents to 51 cents was a penny less than the 52 cents Wall Street expected and shares of the company sold off sharply after the earnings report.

Sam’s Club is temporarily suspending is membership fee this weekend to engage in Texas’ tax-free holiday and promote new member sign ups.

The tax-free holiday for back-to-school products begins today and runs through Sunday. Texas is home to 74 of Sam’s 613 U.S. clubs, and during the same three-day period Sam’s will allow non-members to shop its clubs.

HERSHEY, Pa. and SAN FRANCISCO — The Hershey Company recently partnered with the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, Calif. to provide students with a hands-on package-design opportunity. Students were asked to create a customized heart box design for Hershey's Pot of Gold chocolates to help give the collection a contemporary, fresh look for the 2013 Valentine's Day season.

Winter is fast approaching — is your facility ready? Statistically speaking nearly 80% of all slip and falls are due to snow and ice, and they occur mainly in parking lots and sidewalks. As an expert witness and consultant in the field of risk and liability due to snow and ice, I see incidences that could have been avoided had the facility performed a pre-season property assessment.

Retailers looking to add sparkle to this year’s Christmas season may want to take a new look at their gift card programs. Last year, more than half of consumers bought at least one gift card for the holidays, according to a report from First Data Corp., an Atlanta-based e-commerce processor.

Indeed, consumers seem to be taking more of a shine than ever to these types of spending vehicles.

When the days grow shorter and the air starts to turn chilly, retail companies prepare for their hottest time of year. As they get ready for the holiday season, retailers will do well to keep three additional factors in mind:

u Adjust for the presidential election. Typically, retailers market heavily in October and early November to drive store foot traffic as the holidays begin. Early marketing efforts, however, will not go as far this holiday season.