Justine Griffin/Sarasota Herald-Tribune—Economic uncertainty surrounding the government shutdown is pushing American consumes to take a conservative approach to spending this holiday season. The National Retail Federation predicts that the average shopper will spend $737.95 on gifts, holiday-themed decor, greeting cards and more this year, which is two percent less than the $752.24 average shoppers spent […]
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Government shutdown expected to slash Halloween sales
NBC New York—People expected the federal government shutdown to have a lot of negative effects, such as cuts to senior benefits, employee furloughs and national parks closures. But who could’ve predicted that Halloween would be taking a hit as well? According to the NFA, the shutdown and overall state of the economy will be weighing […]
Shoppers in no mood to party
Justine Griffin/Sarasota Herald-Tribune—New chain stores and pop-up retailers have moved into Southwest Florida well before the start of October, as the push for holiday sales around Halloween begins even earlier this year. Halloween costumes, candy and decorations hit the shelves of stores in Sarasota and Manatee counties at least a month before Oct. 31 — […]
CityTarget woos Portland State shoppers with Back to College Night
Nicole Friedman/The Oregonian—Hundreds of Portland State University students boarded buses to CityTarget in downtown Portland Tuesday night to buy dorm-room essentials and hang out with friends at the store’s first Back to College Night. More than 800 students — mostly freshmen — showed up, said store manager Vincson Green. From 10 to 11 p.m., Target […]
Black Friday lesson in Target’s Phillip Lim launch
Kelli Grant/CNBC— This year, Black Friday shoppers may want to take a leaf from 3.1 Phillip Lim for Target devotees. Some social media savvy shoppers were able to beat the crowds by hours to snag coveted items. Signs pointed to Target’s collaboration with designer Phillip Lim selling out quickly when it launched Sunday. Oh boy, […]
New Outlets For Growth
Joel Groover/Shopping Centers Today—Minutes after the July ribbon-cutting for The Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta, Barbara Moore stood before the store directory, grinning at the sight of a 99-brand lineup brimming with the likes of Kate Spade, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th and Talbots. “I live in western North Carolina and drove a little over a hundred miles to come down for this opening,” the shopper said. “This is so important to us, because we don’t have stores like this where we live. Even though I do a lot of online shopping, I like to come and see for myself and get the look and feel.”
