RETAIL NEWS

Retailers have plenty to cheer at the beginning of the new year.

Holiday sales increased 4.9% in 2017, setting a new record for dollars spent, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse. It was the largest year-over-year increase since 2011. Online shopping saw large gains of 18.1% compared to 2016, boosted by a late-season rally. (The SpendingPulse report details holiday shopping from Nov.1 through Dec. 24 and covers retail sales across all payment types.)

Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based, Dollar General has announced plans to build its 17^th facility in its major distribution network. The company previously built its first center in San Antonio, Texas back in 2014 and celebrated the opening of a second location also within Texas in 2016.

In addition to opening this new location, the company also is looking to create 400 new jobs when at full capacity and serve 1,000 retail locations within Texas and the southeast. The structure itself is expected to be nearly 1,000,000 square feet, the company said.

It has been announced that Walgreens Boots Alliance will be reducing its stake in Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a pharmaceutical wholesaling joint venture in China. This announcement comes after the Deerfield, Ill.-based company announced plans earlier this year their plans to take a 40% stake in Sinopharm Holding GuoDa Drugstores.

Executives from Walmart and CVS Health will be among the biggest names addressing the National Retail Federation’s 107th annual convention in mid-January 2018. Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon and Helena Foulkes, CVS Health executive vice president and president of CVS Pharmacy will address the conference on its first and second days, respectively.

Private label has become big business for Amazon in 2017 — and momentum continues to grow.

The online giant used 2017 to refine its private-label strategy — a move that helped the company launch over 30 new brand names across highly competitive categories. As a whole, these private-label brands generated roughly $450 million in sales in this year, according to “Amazon Private Brands: Year-End Review,” a study from One Click Retail.

Seventy-six percent of Americans shopping online this holiday season expect to make most purchases on Amazon, according to CNBC’s “All-America Economic Survey.”

While Walmart comes in second place, the retailer lags far behind its rival. Only 8% of Americans who shop online are visiting the discount giant to search or check prices, according to CNBC.

Target is catering to last-minute shoppers by extending store hours and offering convenient ways to obtain purchases before the holiday. The Minneapolis-based company has announced that up until December 23, all stores will open at 7:00 a.m., and close at midnight. On Christmas Eve, all Target locations throughout the nation will open at 7:00 a.m., and close at either 10:00 p.m., or 11:00 p.m.

Walgreens is catering to last-minute shoppers in more than one way. The Deerfield, Ill.-based company has announced that it will be open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Aside from extended store hours, customers are encouraged to order gifts and products online by December 20, to guarantee delivery in time for the holiday.