holidays

How did local shops fare during the holidays?

Nationally, the holiday shopping season was a lot better in 2009 than the previous year. According to Reuters, "SpendingPulse, a unit of MasterCard Advisors, showed retail sales rose 3.6 percent in the period from Nov.... more »

Santa delivers for U.S. retailers

New York -- Inventory control, coupled with last-minute shopping and post-holiday bargain hunting, drove U.S. retailers' best monthly sales in more than 20 months, results showed Thursday, and several -- from discounter Target Corp. to... more »

Retailers’ pockets jingling after spirited holiday shopping season

Despite the struggling economy, SouthCoast retailers enjoyed a gift from consumers this season with relatively strong sales. While retail chains have not yet released their end-of-the-year numbers, local stores saw steady business in the days... more »

This holiday season, Web sales are retailers’ biggest gift

Consumers spent a little more than anticipated during the holiday season, according to a report out on Monday, and a significant e-tail threshold may have been crossed on Christmas Day at Amazon, the online bookseller.For... more »

Shoppers hit local stores for after-Christmas sales

With gift cards in hand, many shoppers jammed the parking lot at the Fulton Walmart at 2000 N. Bluff St. on Saturday.A Fulton Walmart spokeswoman said: "I can't believe how much business we have today.... more »

Retailers get a modest gift this holiday season

After a holiday season marked by uncertainty and discounts, early sales figures coming out of the nation's malls, big-box stores and supermarkets showed improvement in a range of retail categories.Total retail sales from Nov. 1... more »

How did the Valley do this Christmas?

Roanoke Rapids — The holiday spirit treated retailers kindly this season. Many stores, which continue to offer seasonal bargains, exceeded expectations despite some early worries. "We had some concerns with Christmas being on a weekend... more »

Retailers talk shop: Many say holiday season was bright spot for year

Dover — Christmas had only just begun when many retailers began aggressive marketing campaigns with promises of deep discounts and extended store hours designed to lengthen the busiest shopping season by another weekend after the... more »