Seasonal

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears and Kmart stores are debuting “mobile shopping walls” in high-traffic areas to reach customers who are traveling or on-the-go during the holiday season. The walls, which feature top toys from Sears and Kmart, provide Quick Response codes for each item so that customers can make purchases directly from their smartphones, giving customers an innovative and efficient way to accomplish their holiday shopping.

NEW YORK — Kohl's Corp. reported a 3.9% rise in same-store sales in October, better than analysts’ expectations, amid strong demand for its new Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony brands.

In a statement, CEO Kevin Mansell said that customers responded favorably to the pair of new brands, as well as the company's marketing programs.

“As we enter the important fourth quarter, we plan to continue our investment in marketing, especially digital and broadcast, to drive customer traffic and broaden our reach,” he said.

New York City -- Kohl's Corp. reported a 3.9% rise in same-store sales in October, better than analysts’ expectations, amid strong demand for its new Jennifer Lopez and Mark Anthony brands.

In a statement, CEO Kevin Mansell said that customers responded favorably to the pair of new brands, as well as the company's marketing programs.

“As we enter the important fourth quarter, we plan to continue our investment in marketing, especially digital and broadcast, to drive customer traffic and broaden our reach,” he said.

NEW YORK — While consumers remain concerned about the economy, it is not enough to damper their holiday shopping spirit. According to a recent Deloitte survey, while two-thirds (67%) of consumers expect the economy to stay the same or weaken next year, nearly 3-out-of-5 people (59%) will put aside economic worries and spend the same or more this holiday season. This is a slight decline from 2010 but an eight percentage point increase from 2009. 

Chelmsford, Mass. -- The Kronos Retail Labor Index edged down to 3.8% in October 2011, following an upwardly revised 4.2% for September, which was the first reading above 4% since October 2008. Even with the small decline in October, the Retail labor Index remains well above the series low of 2.8% in January 2011.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Big Lots reported that sales for the third quarter ended Oct. 29 were $1.1 billion, an increase of 6% compared with $1 billion for the third quarter of fiscal 2010. Comparable-store sales increased 1.7% for the third quarter of fiscal 2011.  

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Customers who can't wait to get their hands on the latest "Call of Duty" video game are in for some good news courtesy of Walmart. The retailer announced that on Nov. 7 in more than 2,700 stores customers can play "Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3." The event begins at 8 p.m. (local time) and will include tournaments and the chance to win double experience points with every purchase of specially-marked 20-packs of Mountain Dew, exclusively at Walmart.

New York City -- Consumer spending slowed in October, sending a note of caution as retailers head into the holiday season. Eleven retailers missed expectations for same-store sales, while three chains beat estimates, according to a preliminary tally by Thomson Reuters. However, while the October results were not as promising as some retailers had hoped, sales for the most part rose and most chains reported results that were only slightly off from analysts’ estimates. Some analysts blamed Wall Street for underestimating how much caution is still out there.