Abercrombie & Fitch

The retail analysts at Standards & Poor Equity Research predict that 2011 will be a good year for retailers as consumer spending rises 3%, with sales boosted by the extension of the Bush-era tax cuts and the 2% payroll tax cut for all workers for one year.

NEW YORK - After coming off a strong November, U.S. retailers found their momentum largely waned in December, with sales impacted by a still-cautious consumer, early discounting and a blizzard that crippled the Northeast in the days immediately after Christmas. But while many chains missed Wall Street’s heightened expectations for December, the retail industry still turned in its strongest holiday performance since 2006.

New York City -- After coming off a strong November, retailers found their momentum waned in December, with many turning in mixed sales for the month. Industry experts said sales were impacted by a still-cautious consumer and the blizzard the crippled the Northeast in the days immediately following Christmas.

Thomson Reuters, which tracks same-store sales for a group of 28 national chains, said total sales for the group were expected to post a 3.4% increase in same-store sales for December, following a 5.6% bump in November.

Making your NRF Show plans? Don’t forget to allow yourself time to check out the Big Apple’s exciting retail scene. Here’ s a quick hit list of the city’s newest retail stars:

Seattle -- Callison has teamed with parent companies Abercrombie & Fitch and Urban Outfitters to internationally expand the Hollister Co./Gilly Hicks and Urban Outfitters/Anthropologie brands, respectively.

Abercrombie & Fitch has retained Callison as its architect of record to implement its expansion for Hollister in the United Kingdom and Germany. A total of five stores have opened under Callison’s direction with approximately 10 more locations planned.

New York City -- Hollister, the Southern California-themed brand from Abercrombie & Fitch, has opened its doors on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The 15,000-sq.-ft., two-level flagship boasts a double-height glass storefront that is covered with video screens showing a live feed of the surf back in Huntington Beach, Calif. It’s a striking effect that has passers-by lined up neck to neck.

New York City -- Retailers nearly across the board reported a strong start to the holiday season as their November sales were enhanced by aggressive discounting that started early in the month. Same-store sales rose 6% in November,  above the estimated growth of 3.6% and the year-ago gain of 0.6%, according to 27 retailers tracked by Thomson Reuters.