Consumer Electronics

Los Angeles -- After a strong Black Friday and Cyber Monday, overall holiday spending is expected to increase 3.3% to $64.3 billion, according to the  industry research firm IBISWorld.

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack Corp. has initiated a formal review of its creative agency of record for the U.S. general market. RadioShack reported total advertising expenses of approximately $206 million for the fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2010.

To help navigate the review process, RadioShack has retained the services of Select Resources International (SRI), an agency-review consulting firm based in Santa Monica, Calif.

San Francisco -- The 15 cities with the most shopping activity on Black Friday 2011 were Manhattan, N.Y.; San Francisco; Los Angeles; Brooklyn, N.Y.; San Jose, Calif.; Seattle; Chicago; San Diego; Houston; Atlanta; Dallas; Saint Louis;  Portland, Ore.; Austin, Texas; and Minneapolis, according to mint.com, an online personal finance site.

New York City -- Solid-state lighting figures prominently in Starbucks’ newly renovated Time Square flagship in New York City. The retailer utilized the services of Focus Lighting, a New York-based architectural lighting design firm, which called upon LED Source, an international supplier of LED lighting.

“LEDs are the most energy-efficient lighting solution on the market,” said Joe Zamore, VP of business development, LED Source, Wellington, Fla., which specializes specializes in full-scale evaluations and retrofits.

Pearl River, N.Y. -- POS software provider pcAmerica said Tuesday that popcorn franchise Doc Popcorn selected its Restaurant Pro Express POS package to replace its outdated electronic cash registers, adding ongoing flexibility to customize software, as well as pcAmerica recommended and certified designed-to-fit peripherals.

The chain plans to expand the rollout throughout the franchise organization.

New York City -- Retail sales broke records during the Thanksgiving weekend, climbing 16%, according to a survey by BIGresearch for the National Retail Federation.  Shoppers spent $52.4 billion, up from $45 billion last year.

A record 225 million shoppers visited stores and malls over the Black Friday weekend, up from 212 million last year. Shoppers on average spent $398.62, up from $365.34 last year, the NRF said.

Beaumont, Texas -- Conn’s announced that it completed a $20 million expansion, to $450 million, of its revolving credit facility, which expires in July 2015. The company received a commitment from one new lender and received an increased commitment from one of the existing participants in the bank group.

RESTON, Va. — Retailers who promoted their online presence as a way to avoid the crowds this past weekend were rewarded for their efforts with record sales on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday.