Real Christmas

London’s West End has been awarded the title of best shopping destination in the inaugural European Retail Rankings by Experian.

The district beat off stiff competition from fashionable locations such as Paris, Rome, Madrid and Berlin to take the top spot.

Experian expects the West End to attract 6.17 billion euros (£5.2 billion) of spending in 2008, although it points out that economic troubles could threaten the area’s position at the top of the rankings next year.

The West End also faces local competition in the shape of the new Westfield shopping centre, which was opened in Shepherds Bush on October 30th.

Indeed, the Telegraph reports that the number of consumers visiting Oxford Street, Regent Street, South Molton Street and Bond Street fell by a quarter in the week after Westfield opened its doors compared to the same week the year before.

Red Letter Days offers a number of shopping experiences for those who fancy treating themselves to a spot of retail therapy or doing some shopping for unusual Christmas gifts.

Selecting the right Christmas presents can be exhausting and perplexing! Choosing to send a gift hamper is the ideal solution for Christmas presents and gifts for all adult members of the family, friends or work colleagues. Trudging round the shops becoming cold, tired and exasperated is becoming a thing of the past as more and more people are choosing to shop on-line.

On-line shopping offers great choices, gift packing and delivery right up to the week leading up to the Christmas holiday straight to your home or directly to the recipient of the gift without hassle and stress.

The Christmas tradition of sending wicker hampers and baskets crammed full of treats and goodies is seeing a huge revival in the UK. Christmas hampers are now available in a variety of different styles and designs each containing high quality products. The days of receiving a hamper full of food that no one eats are long gone, today the contents of hampers are carefully selected to bring traditional and unusual indulgences and treats from both local and international producers providing a gift which is delightful to both receive and send.

Themed Christmas hampers are seeing a whole new approach to addressing the problems of differences in individual tastes and eating habits to ensure there is a hamper to suit all preferences. Christmas hampers offer exceptional value for money with the wide range of sizes available.

Designed to treat individuals, a mini cheese hamper makes the ideal gift for singles of all ages, a wicker basket containing a bottle of port, two different quality cheeses and oatcakes makes a real change from night dresses or pyjamas! Once the goodies have been eaten the delightful basket provides a useful gift to treasure.

Uncles and men of sophistication will be overjoyed receiving a bottle of Special Reserve port and a ceramic jar containing Blue Stilton cheese to savour in the evenings rather than a pair of socks or a tie!

The perfect Christmas hampers for couples of all ages to share provides a taste of Christmas in traditional and contemporary gourmet goodies. Presented in a traditional lidded wicker basket and crammed full of sweet and savoury nibbles, slices of smoked salmon, white Stilton with juicy apricots, rich Christmas pudding with a choice of traditional brandy butter or contemporary chocolate fudge sauce to drizzle over the top and a bottle of fine wine to make a complete supper or lunch for two. Alternatively a striking wicker basket containing a variety of luxury treats, a bottle of both red and white wine, English afternoon tea and Columbia Arabica coffee, cakes and biscuits offers an exciting combination of tasty treats to share.

For those who prefer not to give alcohol as a gift the ideal Christmas hampers to have delivered is crammed full of luxury tasty treats and chocolates and also includes Christmas chutneys to accompany cold meats and cheeses for supper or Boxing Day lunch all beautifully presented in a red wicker and sea grass basket.

Sears Holdings Corp. is bringing layaway back to its namesake stores next week, nearly two decades after it was scrapped, after seeing a strong response to the pay-as-you-go plan at its Kmart locations.

The move comes as shoppers look for ways to save money during what’s expected to be the worst holiday shopping season in decades.

Layaway will be available beginning Sunday in virtually all Sears departments except home appliances and home electronics, following the success of the reinvigorated program at the company’s discount chain.

“Going into the holiday season with the economic uncertainties we all face, we just wanted to be very mindful and attentive and help support our customers,” said Sears chief marketing officer Don Hamblen.

Kmart has maintained the program for decades, but began promoting the option for the first time in years late last month. So far executives, who declined to release specific figures, called the results “tremendous.”

Layaway, which has its roots in the Great Depression, was largely eclipsed in the past two decades as economic prosperity grew and consumers lined their wallets with credit cards. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. discontinued the practice in 2006, citing falling demand and rising costs, leaving the option at a smattering of discount chains, independent retailers and Web sites. Since 1989, Sears had offered the option only for fine jewelry purchases.

When Kmart began promoting layaway three weeks ago, some experts scoffed at the idea, saying it might resonate with the company’s budget-conscious shoppers, but likely wouldn’t take roots throughout the rest of the retail sector.

Since then, the nation’s economy has only gotten worse. And now, some experts say other retailers may be eyeing the strategy with renewed interest.

“This is a tool that people are going to use quite heavily this Christmas in those stores that have it available,” said George Rosenbaum, chairman of retail consulting firm Leo J. Shapiro and Associates. “And then retailers will see whether this was a great thing they missed and whether they should install it next year.”

Sears’ new layaway program will be available on everything from clothing and toys to tools and home fitness equipment on items bought for Christmas. The items must be picked up no later than Dec. 23.

Executives at the Hoffman Estates-based company said they expect to extend the program if it proves to be a success.

Kathy Grannis, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation, said layaway accounts for just a small fraction of overall retail transactions and doubts other large chains will add the option — at least right now.

“But with economic conditions the way they are, it really is going to be creativity and heavy discounts and unique promotions that get consumers into stores,” she said.

Conventional wisdom dictates that retailers on the brink use peak holiday shopping periods to raise much needed cash before opting for bankruptcy. But in these days of stalled credit a few firms are rumored to be toying with the bankruptcy option before Christmas.

Credit ratings have dropped and anxious analysts are especially watching the following retailers for signs of bankruptcy activity: Circuit City, Gottschalks, Eddie Bauer, Claires, Guitar Center, Lohemann’s, and Oriental Trading Company.

What does this mean for shoppers?

It can mean two things: get ready for deals — and don’t buy their gift cards. This Christmas is quickly turning into a retailer death watch with the recent passing of Mervyn’s and Linens ‘n Things.

PC RETAILERS are having to cut prices and do deals over the next few months if they do not want to be stuck with shedloads of left-over inventory this Christmas, analysts have warned.

Computer sales didn’t live up to expectations over the summer and analysts predict shoppers will cut spending even more drastically.

Analyst Roger Kay of Endpoint Technologies said computer makers are feeling panicky and wondering if they’ll even make it through October without slashing prices.

He told News.com that people with a lot of money are still going to come out and buy whatever they want. But most are going to be looking for deals.

He thinks profits are too thin for serious price cuts but companies are likely to offer more package deals that include free software or hardware add-ons to make more expensive machines look like a better deal.

Netbooks are being seen as the way out for many PC makers. They are cheap and also have a lot of the functions of laptops.

If you buy a new computer you likely will want the store you bought it from to support it. What happens if the flat screen TV you bought goes on the fritz four months after you buy it? What if that great digital camera you purchased can be found somewhere else for a way cheaper price a month after you purchase it?

In each case you would want the help of the store you bought it from. If true, then beware in buying any high ticket item this Christmas from Circuit City.

Circuit City recently hired the same law firm that handled Kmart’s bankruptcy several years ago. And a rumor going around retail circles these days is that Circuit City may not go bankrupt at all and would opt instead for just closing stores and operating online (an epic disaster scenario for buyers).

And for goodness sake — stay away from Circuit City gift cards this holiday season. They may not be any good into the New Year.

Luxury retailers will be singing the blues rather than Christmas carols if U.S. retail analysts’ predictions about holiday gift-giving come true.

According to a new report, the economic downturn is expected to trigger a swing toward such practical booty as gas cards, gift certificates for groceries, gift cards for quick-service restaurants and prepaid credit cards.

This would see consumers swapping shopping malls for drugstores, banks and food outlets. Sales in the non-traditional gift card category are forecast to grow 30 per cent over last year.

According to the Archstone Consulting report, which is based on responses from an online panel of 1,000 consumers, the restaurant and fast food category will sell more gift cards than any other niche this holiday season.

“Going out to dinner used to be something you did without thinking twice,” says Michael Unger, a principal at Archstone. “But for some demographics now, that’s more of a luxury, so a gift card for a restaurant would likely be very appreciated.”

The most desired gift cards among consumers, however, were found to be prepaid credit cards that allow recipients the “flexibility to purchase household needs at the gas station, supermarket or pharmacy.”

What your recession-fearing loved ones say they want now, however, and what they’ll hope to see under the tree Christmas morning could be two very different things.

“I think it’s easy for people answering these surveys in September or October to rationalize this decision and say ‘Oh yeah, it would be great to get a gas or grocery card. That would really help me,’” says Antonia Mantonakis, who teaches a class on consumer behaviour at Ontario’s Brock University. “But at Christmas, when we have these really deeply ingrained social, symbolic, and cultural norms of gift-giving, gift cards for basic necessities would more likely make people upset.”

Even recipients who would be helped by such presents might find them too far removed from their usual holiday expectations.

“The more the social norm is present, and the less evident the economic norms of the day, the better people will feel,” says Mantonakis, an assistant professor of marketing. “I would rather you bring a bottle of wine to dinner than give me $20 to cover your portion of the meal.”

Because this type of gift-giving is so new, Winnipeg-based etiquette maven Lew Bayer says there are no hard-and-fast rules. But she thinks people considering this route ought to proceed with caution.

“Even though this is something people can use, they tend to be insulted by it . . . It might come across as if (the giver) is saying, ‘I know you’re hard-up these days, so here’s some money for groceries,’” says Bayer, executive director of civilityexperts.com.

“Oftentimes people say they want something practical when the reality is that they really want to combine all those gift cards and buy a Wii.”

Toy sellers and manufacturers are bullish on the current economy. This is a great time, they said Wednesday, to be selling toys, and not cars, furniture, or cashmere sweaters.

Executives from the country’s top toy companies were as giddy as kids in a toy store as they gathered for an industry holiday preview in Manhattan, saying they believe they have strong products and a level of consumer demand that is recession-resistant.

“We’re very positive about the season,” said Gerald Storch, chairman and chief executive officer of Toys “R” Us Inc. “Christmas will come, and parents will buy toys for their children.”

Toys showed their resilience in 2007 and will again this year, Storch said.

“Last year was a tough year for most retailers but we had a great year. And I believe we’re going to do fine this year as well,” he said.

Neil Friedman, president of Mattel Brands, said a number of Mattel products are already reporting strong sales, including Elmo Live, a $59.99 plush doll that moves, responds to sounds, and tells jokes. “We see a lot of things that are selling nicely, which is hopefully a good indication of things to come,” Friedman said.

Friedman and Storch were among the industry executives who gathered for a holiday toy preview organized by Jim Silver and Chris Byrne, independent toy analysts and the editors of a new toy ratings Web site, timetoplaymag.com.

In 2007, a series of recalls contributed to a sales drop of 2.4 percent to $22.3 billion, according to Port Washington, N.Y.-based research firm The NPD Group Inc. This year, there have been no major toy recalls, however, high gasoline and food prices and economic uncertainty have made parents watch their discretionary spending. Toy sales are down 1 percent for the first half of this year, according to NPD.

This year there have been only minor toy recalls that attracted little attention.

“The safety problem is a thing of the past,” Silver said, adding that initiatives by the industry and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have addressed the problems that led to last year’s recalls.

Tougher safety standards, however, could make it harder to re-stock bestsellersthat disappear from the shelves in the weeks before Christmas, Silver said. Toys made in China now require additional time because of the new standards.

Silver said those delays could actually benefit Toys “R” Us, which aggressively purchased the expected bestsellers, and is more likely to have toys still in stock when other stores run out.

Toys “R” Us is coming off two Christmases in which it posted its best results in recent years. In 2006, holiday sales at stores open at least a year rose 4.1 percent, the company’s best performance since 1997. Last year, sales rose 3.1 percent during the holiday season, despite numerous recalls and a slowing economy.

Holy mother of Adam West — there is a hot rumor floating about for Christmas 2008;

A Hollywood Reporter article comparing and contrasting the box office legs of ‘The Dark Knight‘ vs all-time champ ‘Titanic‘ posits there’s one reason why the batfilm won’t outlast the romantic disaster: DVDs.

According to the report, Warner plans on pushing ‘Dark Knight‘ discs into stores during the lucrative holiday buying frenzy. For the movie to outlast ‘Titanic‘, it would still have to be drawing box office ticket sales in December. Would people go see the movie when they can watch it on DVD?

Christmas in July? Maybe not a bad idea this year.

Retailers in the United States are already talking about price increases of up to 15 per cent this year on holiday goods, from staples like tree ornaments and toys to luxury gifts like European handbags and clothing. The main cause? It’s the same old chestnut, soaring energy prices.

While most consumers are just starting to think about back-to-school shopping, retailers are already preparing for the critical holiday season. Consumers have been seeing prices creep up for many products, but now escalating cost pressures — which are also being fuelled by the weaker U.S. dollar and higher labour costs in China — are forcing merchants from low-price warehouse clubs to upscale clothiers to pass on more of the burden in the months ahead.

Many stores are still deciding on their holiday prices, and receding oil prices in recent weeks could provide a bit of relief. Still, buying that status handbag now might help shoppers save a little — but for some items, it’s already too late.

And any big surge in demand could lead to more bad news on the inflation front, serving as a catalyst for prices to spiral.

With bigger price increases, merchants risk turning off shoppers who may end up buying fewer holiday gifts to keep to their budgets. That could mean a serious hit for the economy, since consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of all economic activity and the holiday period accounts for a huge chunk of merchants’ sales and profits.

“Truthfully, I probably won’t purchase items that go up that much — especially something like Christmas decorations,” said Marilyn Reese of Cincinnati, who works at an insurance company. “I will just go with what I have.”

Carl Steidtmann, chief economist at Deloitte Research, says that price inflation will be yet “another factor that undermines consumer purchasing power and will hurt spending even more.”

“This will be a very difficult holiday season,” he said.

The price increases come as stores also have to be pushing even deeper discounts this holiday season to attract customers. But that 50 per cent off may not be as good a deal as last year since the original price could be higher.

Even Costco Wholesale Corp., which had been one of the bright spots in retailing, warned last week that its profit was getting squeezed by rising energy costs and it would have to raise prices more. Richard Galanti, Costco’s chief financial officer, specifically cited holiday decor and rotisserie chickens, which are popular for holiday meals.

Holiday decor will be as much as 12 per cent pricier this holiday season than a year ago, and the price of rotisserie chicken, which had been US$4.99 for years, was raised to $5.49 about three months ago and just went up to $5.99 last week.

Toy prices are likely to be about 10 per cent higher for the holidays than a year ago, said Sean McGowan, an analyst at Needham and Co.

K-B Toys Inc., which focuses on selling past toy hits at discounted prices, says it isn’t increasing prices for now. The chain even unveiled a program Monday that offers temporary price cuts on some already reduced toys. But the discounts are a result of logistical manoeuvring. Advertising director Geoffrey Webb said the chain has started consolidating trips from the distribution centres to stores to save fuel costs.

Kathleen Waugh, a spokeswoman for Toys “R” Us, Inc., said that prices for some products will stay steady, while others will have “gradual” increases beginning in early fall. But at Kidstop Toys and Books in Scottsdale, Ariz., which offers mostly European brands, 10 per cent price hikes have already begun, according to owner Kate Tanner.

’This will be a very difficult holiday season.’