Mass Merchant

Although most Americans are still irritated to see holiday items appear in the store alongside Halloween goodies and don’t like stores being open on Thanksgiving, attitudes are beginning to change.   

The new Hamilton Crossings shopping center in Lower Macungie Township, Pennsylvania, will benefit from an innovative new traffic control system that manages signal timing based on continuously monitored traffic volumes.   The system allows traffic approaching the center from a major artery to the mall “largely unstopped” by lights, township engineer Alan Fornwalt told Allentown’s Morning Call.  

Fun. And smaller stores.   Both are part of Toys “R” Us’ plan to revive itself, Bloomberg reported.  

It’s official: Wal-Mart is ready to service a new online customer base.   Wal-Mart’s acquisition of Jet.com was finalized yesterday, a move that extends the chain’s already vast digital presence.  

Gone are the days when Black Friday signified the official launch of the holiday shopping season.    In fact, nearly half (49%) of shoppers will have a bulk of their holiday shopping done by Thanksgiving Day, according to a new survey from market intelligence solutions provider Market Track. And digital deals will be the catalyst.  

A South African-based company is now the owner of the largest mattress retailer in the United States.   Steinhoff International Holdings NV announced it completed its acquisition of Mattress Firm Holding Corp.    As a result of the completion of the transaction, which was first announced in August, Mattress Firm’s common stock will no longer be traded on the NASDAQ stock market.  

As more retailers announce their seasonal hiring plans, filling omnichannel-supporting roles will be a priority.  

Consumers’ new ‘buy now, wear now’ mentality it putting them at odds with retailers, many of whom are already pushing outerwear and other cold weather gear.