Mass Merchant

With only a few days to go until Christmas retailers are already positioning themselves for post holiday success by touting promotions to capitalize on gift card redemptions. Target and JCPenney this week announced special incentives that begin the day after Christmas when both plan to open at 7 a.m.

New York - Macy’s Inc. said Monday that 14 of its stores, including Herald Square and Queens Center in New York, will remain open 24-hours-a-day until Christmas.

The extended hours begin on Tuesday, Dec. 21.

The stores, which are located in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Virginia, Michigan and Minnesota, will be joined by another slate of nine stores that will stay open until 2 a.m., located in New York, New Jersey, California and Massachusetts.

Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Sears.com accounted for 6.21% of multichannel Web traffic for the week ended Nov. 27, which included Thanksgiving and Black Friday, according to data released from Experian Hitwise.

The data showed Sears.com received 21.1 million visits for the week, just under JCPenney at 21.5 million visits, or 6.34% of total Web traffic. Walmart topped the list at 25.88% of all Web traffic, or 88 million visits, with Target ranking second at 15.26%, or 51.8 million visits.

MINNEAPOLIS - Target announced that it is offering free shipping on thousands of Target.com purchases and announces extended store hours on Dec. 26.  

"Target makes shopping fun, fast and festive for our guests throughout the holiday season," says Nik Nayar, vice president, merchandising at Target. "Most holiday gift cards are redeemed in our electronics department so we are gearing up for great deals on some of our guests' favorite products such as video games, TVs and cameras."

Chicago - Boosted by a very weak comparison period, ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE) reported that total GAFO retail sales for the last Saturday before Christmas (12/18), or Super Saturday, increased a sharp 15.1% compared with last year, while the company’s retail traffic index (SRTI) reported a similar 10.1% total U.S. foot traffic uptick for the same period.

New York - Supervalu is having difficulty divesting its New-England-based Shaw’s chain for more than $1 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, and the Minnesota grocery conglomerate may be ready to take down its "for-sale" sign.

According to the report, Shaw’s has been on the block for several months with no takers. Many bids from private-equity firms actually came in below the asking price.

MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu is having difficulty divesting its New-England based Shaw’s chain for more than $1 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, and the Minnesota grocery conglomerate may be ready to take down its "for-sale" sign.

According to the report, Shaw’s has been on the block for several months with no takers. Many bids from private-equity firms actually came in below the asking price.

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Ebay has announced the availability of Giftsnearby the first integration of its newly-acquired Milo shopping engine. 

According to the company, Giftsnearby shows shoppers a selection of popular holiday gift options ranging from electronics and other gadgets to home appliances and toys that are available at local retailers in or near their zip code. Only items that are in stock at a selection of more than 25 trusted retailers are offered as gift options.