Seasonal

Yonkers, N.Y. -- Despite flagging consumer confidence, December's Consumer Reports Index, a measure of overall consumer financial health, showed that the holiday season is off to a good start, with excellent activity in November and the prospect of a strong December.

The Past 30-Day Retail Index for December was 13.9, up from 12.4 a year ago, and planned spending for December was also strong at 12.7 compared to 11.8 last year. Among the categories comprising the Retail Index, the largest gains were in personal electronics.

SALISBURY, N.C. — Food Lion announced that it will now offer its MVP customers copies of Southern Living magazine guide for the holidays. 

MINNEAPOLIS — While its impossible to compare Walmart's monthly performance with Target's, as Walmart no longer provides monthly sales, it can be assumed that Target's less-than-impressive comps increase was affected by stiff Black Friday competition.

Westfield Group has unveiled a multimedia, 3D light show at its Westfield San Francisco Centre, as part of a comprehensive holiday celebration that includes a toy drive, giveaways, and photos with Santa.

Chicago -- With the holiday season in full swing, Mintel, a leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence, has looked into its market intelligence to find out just what U.S. consumers do to make their holidays special.

Here are 10 interesting insights:
 
• Some 13% of U.S. consumers think a cell phone is a good gift for children aged 6-11, up from just 4% earlier this year.

PARIS — Gap Inc. announced the opening of its first Banana Republic store on Avenue des Champs Élysées in Pais, France. According to the company, the 15,952-sq.-ft. space will house the brand’s women’s and men’s collections and represents the most contemporary expression of the brand globally.

Well, another Black Friday has come and gone. And, much to the surprise of many (myself included), it did so with a bang. General consensus is that the Black Friday sales bonanza was a rousing success, and the numbers certainly support that: ShopperTrak reported that Black Friday sales increased 6.6% over the 2010 numbers, with a record-breaking $11.4 billion in purchases. More people were out and about — foot traffic reports show an increase of about 5% over last year, which is good news for the brick and mortar guys.

Walmart faces increased competition from dollar stores, as their value proposition still resonates with cash-strapped consumers. Dollar General, for example reported that net income for its third quarter was $171 million, 50 cents per diluted share, compared with net income of $128 million, or diluted EPS of 37 cents, in the third of fiscal 2010. The company reported that same-store sales increased 6.3% for the quarter.