Fall hasn't even replaced summer, but the predictions of what we'll be buying come Christmas have already begun.
PriceGrabber, a comparison shopping site, says it has compiled a list of what will be the hottest holiday purchases, based on "PriceGrabber internal Web analytics and secondary research (Google Trends, CNET and PCWorld).
The list is tech- and gadget-heavy, which probably isn't surprising given that it appears to be based mostly on Internet data. PriceGrabber claims each of the items will "make a splash."
Here is the list, in full:
· Canon® EOS Rebel™ T2i DSLR: Canon’s 18-megapixel EOS Rebel T2i is a great entry-level digital SLR camera. It offers terrific image and video quality and has an audio-in jack to add sound to videos.
· Mattel® Loopz™ Game: This unique electronic game requires that a child has both memory and skill in order to be a winner. Players must mimic the action of the Loopz in the game to win points. This game is intended for small groups of one to four.
· Fisher-Price® Dance Star Mickey: This interactive Mickey Mouse™ plush toy walks, talks and dances to the most popular beats of all the Disney® classics.
· My Pillow Pets™: These pillows double as a toy that children can play with. They can be shaped like a dolphin, a dog or even a ladybug.
· &eBook Reader (Amazon® Kindle 3™, Barnes & Noble® Nook™, Sony® Reader™): An eBook reader holds a consumer’s library, providing access to favorite book titles at one’s fingertips. eBook readers make it easy to take notes, save clippings of quotations and highlight passages.
· UGG® Australia Classic Short Boot: The Australian-brand unisex sheepskin boots are lined with fleece, have a nonslip rubber sole, wick away moisture to help feet stay dry and come in a variety of colors.
· Apple® iPod Touch™: Apple has added all of the most advanced features to its iPod Touch, allowing consumers to converse over FaceTime™, shoot scenes in HD and utilize the highest-resolution iPod™ screen to date.
· Apple® iPad 2™: The latest iPad was released in March 2011 and features an all-new thinner, lighter design equipped with two cameras for FaceTime and HD video recording, dual-core A5 chip and same 10-hour battery life.
· Kinect™ for Xbox 360™: Kinect allows consumers to control games and entertainment in extraordinary new ways, such as with the wave of a hand or the sound of one’s voice.
· Syma® S107/S107G RC Indoor Helicopter: At approximately 7.5 inches long, the brand-new three-channel gyro mini metal RC helicopter is one of the world’s newest, smallest and lightest RC helicopters. It charges directly either from the USB cable or from the controller, which uses AA batteries and has a full-function control for the perfect flight.
· Motorola® DROID 3™: Motorola DROID 3 is the successor of the Motorola DROID 2™. It comes with a 4-inch qHD display and has a 30 percent faster graphics chip than its predecessor, but it also sports a larger five-row keyboard. In addition, the new handset boasts 27 percent faster multitasking performance over the DROID 2 Global thanks to its 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP chip. The DROID 3 also is capable of recording 1080p full HD videos with its 8-megapixel rear camera.
Added PriceGrabbe: "Other notable products forecasted to be a hit during the holiday shopping season include the Apple® iPhone 5™, which is scheduled for release in fall 2011, and the LeapFrog® LeapPad Explorer, a personalized play and learning tablet for children and available on Aug. 20, 2011."
What do you think of the list? Are these things you see yourself buying? And is it too early to forecast favorite Christmas presents?
First EA Sports Experience comes to Charlotte's airport
If you've been dying to play Madden while waiting for your flight, Charlotte/Douglas International Airport finally has a solution: The country's first EA Sports Experience has a grand opening scheduled there for Friday.
EA Sports is the videogame maker responsible for many major sports titles (including games based on FIFA, the NBA, NCAA, the PGA Tour and of course the juggernaut Madden series).
The new EA Sports Experience, located in the airport's Concourse C, will be sort of a combined sports bar/videogame cafe/travel lounge. EA execs say the 1,400-square-foot store features food, drink, merchandise from local and North Carolina teams, 24 televisions for sports and four game consoles with EA titles to play.
"Hopefully, consumers will see it as kind of a waypoint in their traveling day," said Chris Erb, EA's VP of brand marketing. The store has spots for travelers to charge their phones and laptops.
Having an EA-branded chain of retail stores and traveler waystations is also a great marketing opportunity, Erb said.
Currently, the game kiosks feature just-released Madden 2012. They'll also have NCAA football games to coincide with the college football season.
Boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard will be on hand for Friday's 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting, EA said, as well as mascots from rivals Duke and UNC Chapel Hill.
EA plans to open two more EA Sports Experience stores in airports this year, Erb said.
Other news: Charlotte-based apparel retailer Cato reported disappointing August results on Thursday, with stores open for a year or more seeing their sales drop by 3 percent. Retailers as a whole seemed to fare better in August: An index of stores tracked by Retail Metrics posted a same-store sales increase of 3.9 percent, excluding gasoline.
Another daily deal coupon site, Half Off Depot, is debuting in the Charlotte market. The site currently lists more than 100 deals in Charlotte, for things ranging from paintball to spa services to car detailing to restaurants. The site is one of dozens that have sprung up in the wake of industry-leader Groupon.
Half Off Depot says what makes it different is that its deals aren't offered on a time-limited basis, and it pays merchants in advance, rather than split proceeds with the merchants after the deals are sold. Lately, however, there's been a lot of negative buzz about the sites (like this Bloomberg story). What do you think? Are we overdue for a daily deal bust?
EA Sports is the videogame maker responsible for many major sports titles (including games based on FIFA, the NBA, NCAA, the PGA Tour and of course the juggernaut Madden series).
The new EA Sports Experience, located in the airport's Concourse C, will be sort of a combined sports bar/videogame cafe/travel lounge. EA execs say the 1,400-square-foot store features food, drink, merchandise from local and North Carolina teams, 24 televisions for sports and four game consoles with EA titles to play.
"Hopefully, consumers will see it as kind of a waypoint in their traveling day," said Chris Erb, EA's VP of brand marketing. The store has spots for travelers to charge their phones and laptops.
Having an EA-branded chain of retail stores and traveler waystations is also a great marketing opportunity, Erb said.
Currently, the game kiosks feature just-released Madden 2012. They'll also have NCAA football games to coincide with the college football season.
Boxing great Sugar Ray Leonard will be on hand for Friday's 11 a.m. ribbon-cutting, EA said, as well as mascots from rivals Duke and UNC Chapel Hill.
EA plans to open two more EA Sports Experience stores in airports this year, Erb said.
Other news: Charlotte-based apparel retailer Cato reported disappointing August results on Thursday, with stores open for a year or more seeing their sales drop by 3 percent. Retailers as a whole seemed to fare better in August: An index of stores tracked by Retail Metrics posted a same-store sales increase of 3.9 percent, excluding gasoline.
Another daily deal coupon site, Half Off Depot, is debuting in the Charlotte market. The site currently lists more than 100 deals in Charlotte, for things ranging from paintball to spa services to car detailing to restaurants. The site is one of dozens that have sprung up in the wake of industry-leader Groupon.
Half Off Depot says what makes it different is that its deals aren't offered on a time-limited basis, and it pays merchants in advance, rather than split proceeds with the merchants after the deals are sold. Lately, however, there's been a lot of negative buzz about the sites (like this Bloomberg story). What do you think? Are we overdue for a daily deal bust?
Infinity's End, other shops come to University-area shopping center
Town Center Plaza, at Highway 49 and WT Harris Boulevard, has three new tenants, including Infinity's End, a hair salon, shoe store and a nutrition shop.
Infinity's End will open a 2,000-square-foot shop in mid-September. The University-area location will be the retailer's third in Charlotte. The store offers a mix of merchandise, including tee shirts, hookahs, incense, posters, skateboards and disc golf. The retailer, which has been in business since 1969, is likely to draw a healthy crowd from UNC-Charlotte.
"We've wanted to get into University Area for awhile,” owner Frank Pietras said in a press release. "With the coffee shop next door as well as the outdoor patio, we knew this was the best choice in the area for us to open our third location."
Three other new businesses are also now open at the shopping center, according to leasing company Crosland. Geovanny Hair Salon opened in the spring, offering hair care services and salon products. New York New York is selling value-priced shoes for men and women starting at around $20. And Planet Nutrition opened in July near Weight Watchers and Lifestyle Family Fitness.
Infinity's End will open a 2,000-square-foot shop in mid-September. The University-area location will be the retailer's third in Charlotte. The store offers a mix of merchandise, including tee shirts, hookahs, incense, posters, skateboards and disc golf. The retailer, which has been in business since 1969, is likely to draw a healthy crowd from UNC-Charlotte.
"We've wanted to get into University Area for awhile,” owner Frank Pietras said in a press release. "With the coffee shop next door as well as the outdoor patio, we knew this was the best choice in the area for us to open our third location."
Three other new businesses are also now open at the shopping center, according to leasing company Crosland. Geovanny Hair Salon opened in the spring, offering hair care services and salon products. New York New York is selling value-priced shoes for men and women starting at around $20. And Planet Nutrition opened in July near Weight Watchers and Lifestyle Family Fitness.
New Burlington Coat Factory headed to S. Charlotte
Discount-price retailer Burlington Coat Factory says it plans to open its third Charlotte location in the fall.
The 48,000-square-foot store is slated for Woodlawn Marketplace on South Boulevard, which is owned by KimCo Realty Corporation. The store will open on November 4, Burlington says, and will bring about 100 new jobs to the area.
There are some 460 Burlington Coat Factory stores in the country, and this will be the 10th in North Carolina. Burlington says its stores offer apparel and home goods at about 60 percent less than department store prices.
Burlington reported strong results in its most recent quarter, as many consumers remained cautious and hunted for bargains. Total sales rose 9 percent, to $793 million, and sales at stores open a year or more rose 4 percent.
The 48,000-square-foot store is slated for Woodlawn Marketplace on South Boulevard, which is owned by KimCo Realty Corporation. The store will open on November 4, Burlington says, and will bring about 100 new jobs to the area.
There are some 460 Burlington Coat Factory stores in the country, and this will be the 10th in North Carolina. Burlington says its stores offer apparel and home goods at about 60 percent less than department store prices.
Burlington reported strong results in its most recent quarter, as many consumers remained cautious and hunted for bargains. Total sales rose 9 percent, to $793 million, and sales at stores open a year or more rose 4 percent.
Northlake Apple store opens this weekend
It's official: Northlake Mall's new Apple store will open at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27.
The store has been under construction for months, the grand opening date kept under wraps per Apple's usual policy. The Northlake Apple store is Charlotte's second (the first is at SouthPark) and the state's fifth Apple retail location.
The opening is likely to draw a big crowd, and the first 1,000 shoppers will get a free T-shirt, Apple says. The store is on Northlake's second floor, next to the Bebe location, and will have all the usual Apple store features, such as the Genius Bar.
A Mecklenburg County building permit lists the project as a $1.7 million renovation. That sounds pricey, but actually isn't that much for a company that recently had several billion dollars more on hand than the U.S. Treasury.
So will you stop by Saturday for a free T-shirt? Avoid the crowds? Or are you more of a PC person?
Yoforia opens at EpiCentre
The frozen yogurt boom continues in Charlotte, with the area's fifth Yoforia location to open in the EpiCentre uptown on Friday.
The store will open for business at 11 a.m. Yoforia says it will have extended hours, presumably to cater to the late-night crowd. The store will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday.
“I think that opening a store in the EpiCentre presents a great opportunity to further showcase our product. We’re definitely proud and excited to offer an Uptown location,” said CEO Luke Tashie, in a statement. There are 17 Yoforia locations, in North Carolina and Georgia.
Charlotte has seen plenty of self-serve frozen yogurt stores springing up lately, such as a number TCBYs and The Frozen Isle in Overstreet Mall, to name just two. The rise of frozen yogurt in south Charlotte is chronicled by the Observer's Caroline McMillan in this piece.
Other retail notes:
The Wal-Mart at the Arboretum will reopen Friday morning at 8 a.m. following a renovation. The store now features an expanded selection of cold foods, beer and wine in coolers and twice as many dry groceries. There's also a larger electronics section and most of the departments have been moved.
Allen Edmonds, a shoe store, has opened at Phillips Place. They're donating 10 percent of sales through Aug. 21 to United Way, and also offering a 15 percent off storewide sale.
The store will open for business at 11 a.m. Yoforia says it will have extended hours, presumably to cater to the late-night crowd. The store will be open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday and 11 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday.
“I think that opening a store in the EpiCentre presents a great opportunity to further showcase our product. We’re definitely proud and excited to offer an Uptown location,” said CEO Luke Tashie, in a statement. There are 17 Yoforia locations, in North Carolina and Georgia.
Charlotte has seen plenty of self-serve frozen yogurt stores springing up lately, such as a number TCBYs and The Frozen Isle in Overstreet Mall, to name just two. The rise of frozen yogurt in south Charlotte is chronicled by the Observer's Caroline McMillan in this piece.
Other retail notes:
The Wal-Mart at the Arboretum will reopen Friday morning at 8 a.m. following a renovation. The store now features an expanded selection of cold foods, beer and wine in coolers and twice as many dry groceries. There's also a larger electronics section and most of the departments have been moved.
Allen Edmonds, a shoe store, has opened at Phillips Place. They're donating 10 percent of sales through Aug. 21 to United Way, and also offering a 15 percent off storewide sale.
Update: H&M inching closer to Charlotte
Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M isn't moving in to Charlotte yet, but it is marching west across the state, with the recent announcement of a new store planned in Winston-Salem.
The new store, as reported here, will be opening in November at Hanes Mall. The store is planned to be 20,000 square feet, with its own entrance and a grand staircase.
There is only one other H&M in North Carolina is in Raleigh, so the Winston-Salem store does cut the distance between Charlotte and the nearest H&M more than in half. In January, H&M officials said the retailer doesn't have plans to open in Charlotte this year.
But with H&M opening its second N.C. store in much smaller Winston-Salem, it begs the question of when the retailer will enter the Charlotte market. Could the emptying of existing Borders bookstore locations as going-out-of-business sales wind down give H&M the opportunity it needs (they average 24,800 square feet)?
The Container Store, another retailer with a strong fan following, moved into Joseph Beth's old SouthPark location after that store closed. For now, H&M fans will just have to keep hoping. (And thanks to an astute reader for the tip on this)
The new store, as reported here, will be opening in November at Hanes Mall. The store is planned to be 20,000 square feet, with its own entrance and a grand staircase.
There is only one other H&M in North Carolina is in Raleigh, so the Winston-Salem store does cut the distance between Charlotte and the nearest H&M more than in half. In January, H&M officials said the retailer doesn't have plans to open in Charlotte this year.
But with H&M opening its second N.C. store in much smaller Winston-Salem, it begs the question of when the retailer will enter the Charlotte market. Could the emptying of existing Borders bookstore locations as going-out-of-business sales wind down give H&M the opportunity it needs (they average 24,800 square feet)?
The Container Store, another retailer with a strong fan following, moved into Joseph Beth's old SouthPark location after that store closed. For now, H&M fans will just have to keep hoping. (And thanks to an astute reader for the tip on this)
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