Seasonal

There will be no escaping the long arm of Walmart’s marketing efforts this holiday season as the retail reminds shoppers it has the lowest prices on the broadest assortment of merchandise. Chief merchandising office Duncan Mac Naughton is making sure of that, and on Wednesday he outlined all of the ways the company plans to communicate with shoppers in the months ahead.

Armonk, N.Y. -- Jewelry will be one of the brightest categories for U.S. retailers this holiday season, according to a new analytics-based forecast by IBM. Jewelry sales are set to hit $2.6 billion In November, up 7.7% over the year-ago period, IBM reported, and $5.4 billion in December, up 4% over last year.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Two years of declining same-store sales at Walmart are poised to end next month when the retailer reports third quarter results that reflect positive momentum from a wide range of initiatives put in place during the past 12 months, judging from comments made by senior executives during an all day meeting with analysts on Wednesday.

Duluth, Ga. -- NCR Corp. announced the launch of CPMobile, a mobile retail management solution designed to enable specialty retailers to engage more directly with consumers throughout the sales process and provide a level of customer service that will drive revenue and differentiate them from their competition.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores will hold its annual meeting in Rogers, Ark., near its Bentonville, Ark., headquarters on Wednesday, and said the meeting focus will be on reversing the decline in its U.S. Walmart stores’ business.

The retailer is also expected to share information about its upcoming holiday strategies and discuss capital spending plans.

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys"R"Us announced that through Nov. 5, for every wish list created in-store or online it will donate $1 in Toys"R"Us gift card, up to $50,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. In addition, the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund, a public charity affiliated with Toys"R"Us Inc., has provided the Make-A-Wish Foundation with a $275,000 grant.

Hudson, Ohio -- Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores said Monday it will increase its work force by more than 15% for the holiday season.

Tom Williams, senior VP human resources for Jo-Ann, announced the company has begun the seasonal recruiting process and will hire more than 3,000 additional employees before the holidays.

The company attributes the seasonal hiring to anticipation of increased traffic in stores through the holiday season.
 

New York City -- An overwhelming majority (72%) of U.S. consumers expect their holiday spending to be “careful” or “controlled” in 2011, according to Accenture’s annual consumer holiday shopping study. Discounts, sales and prices are still top of mind this holiday, with 40% of consumers saying an item being on sale is the single most important factor in their decision to purchase.