Mass Merchant

Retailers were effective at getting a record number of Americans to visit stores and Web sites over the weekend, but persuading them to spend money was a different story, according to data released by the National Retail Federation Sunday afternoon.

Even before its final round of deals kicked in at Walmart on Friday morning the retailer announced that sales had exceeded last year’s record-breaking results with 10 million transactions completed between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving.

New York -- Holiday sales growth is looking up for the nation’s retailers, with much of the lift coming from pent-up demand, according to Moody’s Investors Service. The company’s holiday forecast is the 4.5% to 5.5% range, which is higher than the National Retail Federation’s forecast of 3.9% and the International Council of Shopping Centers’ forecast of 2.0%.

Meijer is extending Cyber Monday into a weeklong sales event on Meijer.com, offering customers deep discounts and free shipping on orders of more than $75. The Midwestern retailer will offer Cyber Week savings from Sunday through Dec. 7.

Purchase, N.Y. — Old Navy has taken a 13,500-sq.-ft. space in Orange Plaza, an 815,000-sq.-ft. power center in Middletown, N.Y., according to National Realty & Development Corp.

A Wal-Mart Supercenter, Kohl’s Department Store, Burlington Coat Factory, Marshalls, Bed Bath & Beyond and The Home Depot anchor the center. Orange Plaza draws shoppers from a 25-mile circle including the Hudson Valley and areas in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Sorting fact from fiction in the so-called strikes and other worker protests taking place this weekend is a challenging proposition, but one organization hopes to set the record straight.

A group called the Worker Center Watch supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is calling attention to a number of organizations such as OUR Walmart it contends are fronts for organized labor who exist to dodge regulations governing labor organizing activities.

New York – The Jones Group has reportedly set Dec. 1 as a final deadline for a buyout bid from Sycamore Partners. According to Women’s Wear Daily, with the assistance of Citi Jones Group has gone through an extensive auction process which at times included KKR & Co. and G-III Apparel Group Ltd.

Okay, maybe not president, but if or when Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon leaves the company after being passed over for the top job, it will be Walmart’s loss and the nation’s benefit if he pursues political office or public service.