OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

New York City -- Macy’s said Monday it has brought back its “24-hour” stores for three all-nighters beginning Dec. 21. Starting at 7 a.m., 14 Macy’s stores will stay open for 83 hours straight for non-stop shopping until Christmas Eve on Dec. 24 at 6 p.m.

Another 27 Macy’s stores will stay open until 2 a.m. on those same three nights.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. revealed Thursday it has launched an internal investigation into whether its overseas operations complied with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in matters including permitting, licensing and inspections. 

Few details about the internal probe have been released, but the retailer revealed the investigation in a quarterly report filed Thursday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The law in question deals with bribery and accounting rules when companies are doing business overseas. 

Chicago -- Illinois House leaders have agreed to pass tax breaks in order to keep Sears Holdings Corp. from abandoning its Hoffman Estates, Ill., headquarters in search of a new out-of-state home, according to Reuters.

The deal is also designed to keep Ill.-based securities and commodities trading company CME Group in-state as well.

The House had previously shot down the tax package. 

New York City -- Consumers and their smartphones are becoming inseparable when it comes to shopping, according to a survey by Verve Wireless, a mobile advertising company, which found that over 60% of respondents use their smartphone for shopping one or more times each month.

The top three product categories shopped for on smartphones are electronics (51%), entertainment (50%), books (45%), closely followed by clothing (38%) and automotive (21%), the survey revealed.

In other findings:

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s said Thursday it will open a new Customer Support Center in Albuquerque, N.M., in first quarter 2012.

The center is estimated to create 250 jobs by March and a total of 600 jobs by the end of 2013.

Chicago -- With the holiday season in full swing, Mintel, a leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence, has looked into its market intelligence to find out just what U.S. consumers do to make their holidays special.

Here are 10 interesting insights:
 
• Some 13% of U.S. consumers think a cell phone is a good gift for children aged 6-11, up from just 4% earlier this year.

Houston -- ATM owner Cardtronics said Thursday it has forged a long-term agreement in Puerto Rico with National Lumber & Hardware to install ATMs at 38 locations for the home improvement and interior design retailer.

National Lumber & Hardware is a division of Pitusa, the island’s largest Puerto Rico-based retailer.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Thursday said that consumer confidence in the U.S. was little changed for a second week, holding at a level typically reached during past recessions.

The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index was at minus 50.3 in the period ended Dec. 4, after a reading of minus 50.2 the prior week. The gauge has been at minus 50 or worse for 11 of the past 12 weeks.