Winter Holidays

Natural lip balms are beginning to go mainstream.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - On-the-go Romeos and Juliets juggling workplace demands with their personal errands, household chores and children's activities this Valentine's Day will appreciate Lovers' Lane at Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., a checkout lane devoted solely to shoppers purchasing Valentine-related items.

NEW YORK - In what could be a 2004 version of "Toy Story," a group of toy manufacturers have decided to take a stand against Wal-Mart Stores by delivering fewer hot toys to the chain and having more exclusive launches at competitors, like Toys "R" Us, according to the Associated Press.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - February retail sales may increase slightly as households begin to receive larger-than-expected tax refunds, but Valentine's Day may not provide much of a boost, at least on higher-ticket items, according to the latest Retail Forward Monthly Shopper Update Survey.

WASHINGTON - U.S. shoppers kept on buying in December but at a slower pace, as retail sales posted a smaller-than-expected gain in the last month of the holiday season, a Commerce Department report on Thursday said. Meanwhile the nation's grocery stores saw December sales rise 4.0 percent compared to 2002, to $40.6 billion.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - High-end retail stores did the best this Christmas, and consumer spending is expected to remain weak through January, according to a shopper survey conducted by the Retail Forward consulting firm here.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores here said today its December sales at stores open at least a year rose 4.3 percent, near the high end of its estimate, helped by a late surge in Christmas shopping.

LONDON - Wal-Mart owned Asda said Wednesday that it had completed 18 million transactions in the week before Christmas. Its busiest day was Dec. 23 when it served 38 customers a second through the checkouts.