Sales & Marketing

Overall, there was a slight upward trend in both size of inserts and circulation, with a 5% increase in the number of pages per insert and 2 % increase in the average number of inserts across markets.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores said Thursday that it will kick off the holiday season at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving with three Black Friday sale events.

Black Friday circulars were released Thursday via Facebook and walmart.com to promote the early savings, which include specials on electronics and toys.

"Our customers told us they would rather stay up late to shop than get up early, so we're going to hold special events on Thanksgiving and Black Friday," said Duncan Mac Naughton, chief merchandising officer, Walmart U.S.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart announced that it is starting its Black Friday promotions at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 24), raising the question: "Should we just call it Black Thursday already?"

For the first time, Walmart will open its stores at 10 p.m. to offer customers special savings on top toys, home and apparel. Deals include Barbie dolls for $5 each, a $20 inflatable snowman, a 20-piece Paula Deen cookware set for $86.44 and kids character sleepwear sets for $4.47. 

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Corp. reported Thursday that profit for the quarter ended Oct. 29 rose 20% to $211 million, compared with $176 million in the year-ago period.

The retailer cited cost cuts and strong demand for exclusive brands for the strong performance, which matched Wall Street expectations.

New York City -- Deloitte’s 26th annual holiday survey of consumer spending intentions and trends, released Thursday, found that nearly half (48%) of consumers say they most likely will shop for gifts online this holiday season – a 13% increase from last year. 

This makes the Internet the No.1 shopping destination, now tied with discount stores, for the first time since adding the channel to Deloitte’s annual study.

Seattle -- Nordstrom Inc. reported Thursday that profit for the quarter ended Oct. 29 rose 6.7% to $127 million, compared with $119 million in the year-ago period.

Net sales rose 14.2% to $2.4 billion, surpassing Wall Street’s expected $2.35 billion and up from $2.1 billion a year earlier.  Same-store sales climbed 7.9%.

The company opened two full-line department stores – in Nashville and St. Louis -- and nine Nordstrom Rack stores during the quarter.
 

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The 2011 Kosherfest confirmed what many in the industry already know — kosher products are in high demand by a growing number of both Jewish and non-Jewish consumers. 

San Diego -- PriceSmart Inc. reported Thursday that profit for the fourth quarter dipped 4% to $12.7 million from $13.2 million a year earlier, as higher costs offset stronger sales.

The wholesale club operator’s total revenue surged 22% to $447.4 million. Same-store sales rose nearly 19% in October.