Consumer Electronics

Well, the holidays are finally over and the verdict is in: Retailers reported a 3.5% year-over-year sales increase in December — that’s better than I thought we would see — and a 3.3% increase overall for the season. While slightly more than some analysts anticipated (myself included!), it wasn’t the happiest holiday for everyone. Certain sectors (electronics) and brands (Macy’s, Nordstrom) did better than expected, while others (Target and J.C. Penney) did worse.

Grapevine, Texas -- GameStop Corp. on Monday reported nearly flat sales for the nine-week holiday period that ended on Dec. 31. Total sales were $3.02 million, or about the same as last year. Same-store sales slipped 0.3%.

GRAPEVINE, Texas — GameStop reported that total sales for the nine-week holiday period ended Dec. 31 were $3.03 billion, up slightly from 2010, thanks to strong sales in new video game software.

West chester, Pa. -- QVC announced that Linda Dillman has been appointed CIO, Dillman most recently served as senior VP global IT at HP. Previously, she was executive VP and CIO at Wal-Mart Stores.

Las Vegas -- Sales of consumer electronics fell 5.9% this past holiday season, as smartphones cannibalize sales of standalone gadgets like cameras, camcorders and GPS navigation devices, according to the NPD Group.

Electronics sales, including TVs and PCs, totaled $9.5 billion in the five weeks ending Dec. 24, NPD reported. Camcorder sales fell 43% and sales of digital picture frames were down 38%. GPS units decreased 33%. Television sales were down 4%, bolstered by sales of TVs bigger than 50 inches.

Richmond, Va. -- Atlanta-based Jones Lang LaSalle said Thursday that it has been selected as the property and leasing manager for Regency Square Mall, an 820,000-sq.-ft. regional shopping center located in Richmond, Va.

Jones Lang LaSalle will work with the current Taubman management team for a one-month transition period.

Foxborough, Mass. -- Trader Joe's announced plans to open a new grocery store at Patriot Place, located in Foxborough, Mass., in 2012.

The 16,000-sq.-ft. store will be Trader Joe’s 18th Massachusetts location, and the only within a 15-mile radius of Foxborough. Trader Joe’s has leased existing space in Patriot Place’s South Marketplace between Christmas Tree Shops and Staples.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co. reported Friday that December sales were less than the company anticipated, as fewer-than-expected shoppers filled the retailer’s stores over the holiday selling month.

Same-store sales fell 1.2% in December, an improvement from the 4% drop in the same period last year.  Total revenue was flat at $8.4 billion. Its online division shone, recording a 26% rise in revenue for the month.

Despite the lackluster showing in December, Best Buy reaffirmed its annual guidance.