Christmas news and archive

Why loyalty, not discounts, is shaping retail’s next growth phase

As the festive rush fades and discount fatigue sets in, many retailers are entering the new year questioning whether traditional promotional playbooks are still fit for purpose. While deep discounts continue to generate short term spikes in traffic, they are increasingly failing to deliver what brands need most: repeat engagement, loyalty and...

Retail

US holiday spending increases 4.2 percent in the run up to Christmas

Although 2025 has been a difficult year for many retailers, one thing doesn’t appear to have changed much - consumers ‘appetite for holiday shopping. Preliminary data from Visa indicates that overall holiday retail spending grew 4.2 percent year over year across all payment types, including cash and checks. The data, taken from the global...

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Retail

Close to 9 in 10 consumers plan to shop before Christmas

With the final countdown for the 2025 holiday shopping season set to begin, this week is likely to be a real success for retailers, with nearly nine in 10 American consumers planning to shop in the two weeks leading up to Christmas, according to new data from ICSC. The organization's 2025 Super Saturday Survey, conducted online from December 10...

Fashion |In Pictures

5 stylish designer Christmas trees in London

This holiday season, fashion brands and designers aren’t just content with taking over the windows at luxury department stores but instead dressing Christmas trees for luxury hotels across London. Claridge’s unveiled a 16-foot tree decorated with bows designed by Burberry’s Daniel Lee, while The Londoner embraced the ethereal aesthetic of Susan...

Retail

Snapchat launches festive AR retail experience

Social media platform Snapchat, which has more than 900 million monthly active users, has unveiled a festive retail experience in augmented reality (AR), designed to bring holiday shopping to life through immersive and interactive digital boutiques. The inaugural Snapchat Winter Village launches in collaboration with luxury fashion brand Boss,...

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Retail|Report

6 Takeaways for Retailers to Achieve a Winning Holiday Season

The kick-off for the holiday shopping season has begun, with Black Friday well underway and Cyber Monday just around the corner. As shoppers across the nation get into the festive season and begin the hunt for the perfect gifts for their loved ones, one key message emerges. While it’s not secret that shoppers receive countless marketing...

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Business

Despite doubts over economy, Americans set for record holiday spending

Americans are expected to spend a record amount over the holiday season, despite lingering worries in the world's biggest economy about stubborn inflation, tariffs and the knock-on effects of the government shutdown. "Consumers remain pretty concerned about inflation and, there's no doubt, about where prices are going," Mark Mathews, chief...

Retail

US holiday sales forecast to surpass one trillion dollars for first time

The US’ National Retail Federation (NRF) has outlined its annual holiday forecast for the November and December shopping season, during which it is anticipating record figures despite notable headwinds throughout the year. According to the organisation, retail sales for the final two months of 2025 will grow between 3.7 and 4.2 percent compared...

Culture

Paul Smith announces festive collaboration with the Royal Opera House

British designer Paul Smith is collaborating with the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden for the festive season to celebrate “the spirit of creativity and cultural heritage”. The festive takeover is described as a first-of-its-kind collaboration bringing together “two icons of British design and the arts, united by a shared commitment...

Retail

Selfridges to host the “most magical Christmas” with Disney

British luxury department store Selfridges is teaming up with Disney to celebrate the festive season across its London, Manchester, and Birmingham stores, as well as online. Billed as the “most magical Christmas,” the festive collaboration will see Selfridges stores transformed to excite and enchant visitors with “festive wonderlands filled with...

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Retail

Seasalt reports record Christmas sales

British clothing and lifestyle brand Seasalt, based in Cornwall, has reported a 10 percent rise in total sales for the five weeks to December 28, 2024, across online, stores, marketplace partners and wholesale. In a statement, Seasalt said it had set “new records for the Christmas period” across every channel, led by a “particularly noteworthy...

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Retail

December sales boost fails to save UK retail’s “Golden Quarter”

Christmas fails to save 2024 trading, as new data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and KPMG International reveals that UK total retail sales for the year increased by just 0.7 percent from 2023, while non-food declined by 1.5 percent. For the three months to December, known as the “Golden Quarter,” sales growth was 0.4 percent...