News

Retailers who report monthly sales are set to report their best December results in several years this Thursday assuming preseason forecasts and in-season upward revisions prove accurate. Total holiday sales are forecast to increase in the low- to mid-single digits, and Thursday’s monthly results from the likes of Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s, TJX and others will offer an indication of how good a season it was.

Holiday shoppers continued to unleash three years of pent-up demand as the season winds up, on their way to setting a new record of over $521B, blasting through 2007’s pre-recession record of $508 billion, according to Customer Growth Partners. Based on CGP’s proprietary mall surveys and government retail data -- and despite Sunday’s Northeast blizzard -- the sales growth confirmed CGP’s +5% holiday sales forecast. [CGP’s data include e-commerce, unlike NRF, which excludes the same.]

Reston, Va. -- A record $30.81 billion was spent online for the first 56 days of the November/December 2010 holiday season, marking a 13% increase versus the corresponding days last year, according to comScore. The most recent week (ending Dec. 26) witnessed $2.45 billion in spending, an increase of 17% versus the corresponding week last year.

New York City -- BJ’s Wholesale Club is in the sights of private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners, which may pursue a hostile bid for the chain, according to The New York Post.

The Los Angeles-based buyout firm may make a bid if no auction occurs in coming weeks, the report said, citing an unidentified person close to the situation. BJ’s planned an auction to sell itself after an earlier bid from Leonard Green, according to the newspaper.

Chicago -- Total GAFO retail sales for Christmas week (week ending Dec. 25) slipped 4.1% compared with last year, while the company’s retail traffic index (SRTI) reported a 6.8% total U.S. foot traffic decline for the same period, according to ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate (NRSE). The 2010 calendar shift that placed Dec. 26 on a Sunday as opposed to a Saturday last year had the greatest impact on overall performance.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- While many e-retailers had a holiday to celebrate, customer satisfaction with the Top 40 online retailers overall has fallen since last year, according to the sixth annual ForeSee Results E-Retail Satisfaction Index (U.S. Holiday Edition).