U. S. HOLIDAY SEASON SPENDING EXPECTED TO RISE 4 PER CENT

The predictions for this year’s U. S. holiday shopping season are upbeat. The National Retail Federation predicted a 3.6-per-cent to four- per- cent sales gain to a range of US$678.75 billion to US$682 billion. That’s in line with earlier projections from Deloitte, the International Council of Shopping Centers and AlixPartners. A big unknown is the impact of hurricanes Harvey and Irma on spending along the Gulf Coast and Florida. Consumers who have to repair or rebuild their homes may have to limit their holiday shopping. And some heavily damaged stores might not reopen in time for the holidays. It’s also not known how much online shopping will hurt business at brick and mortar stores.