2016 Black Friday Report: Walmart Delivers Deals, Availability and Simplicity on Black Friday

Walmart issued the following statement on how the company delivered on its Black Friday plans for customers. The retailer also unveiled top products purchased on Black Friday and how customers shopped that day in stores and online.

“This Black Friday, we promised customers great deals, more availability of those items, an integrated offering with Walmart.com and the simple shopping experience our customers have come to expect from Walmart. I am proud to say that we’ve delivered on all fronts,” said Steve Bratspies, Chief Merchandising Officer, Walmart U.S. “Our customers were particularly excited about the new technologies we offered this year. In addition to picking up Black Friday favorites like televisions and toys, they flocked to our stores for drones, virtual reality products and hoverboards.”

Happy Walmart customer reacts to receiving a Hatchimal, one of the season’s hottest toys. (Photo: Business Wire)

Thanksgiving and Black Friday Fun Facts and Stats:

• The week kicked off with customers visiting stores in the days leading up to Thanksgiving to grocery shop. This Thanksgiving, Walmart sold 150 million pounds of turkey and ham. Throughout the month of November, the retailer also sold more than six pies per second with the most popular pies being pumpkin and the Patti LaBelle Sweet Potato Pie.
• Black Friday is about offering great deals in stores and online. At midnight ET on Thanksgiving Day, customers started shopping on Walmart.com and the Walmart app. Thanksgiving Day was once again one of the top online shopping days of the year.
• Then, at 6 p.m. the retailer kicked off the company’s Black Friday event in stores across the country. Millions of customers went home with the items they wanted. Top sellers included televisions, cookware, video games and systems, drones, toys and pajamas for the whole family.
• More than 70 percent of traffic to Walmart.com during the retailer’s Black Friday event was driven by mobile.
  

  (Image courtesy of Walmart)

  

  (Image courtesy of Walmart)

  

  (Image courtesy of Walmart)

It is not over. Walmart’s Cyber Week began at 12:01 a.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 25, and will continue with thousands of online specials every day throughout the week.

“We will continue to focus on offering great prices on great products across the whole store and on Walmart.com for the rest of the holiday season,” Bratspies added.

Now Open: Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto Unlocks The Hidden Secrets Of Japan’s Ancient Imperial Capital

Dedicated Four Seasons Experience Creator Devises Unique Itineraries That Give Travelers Exclusive Access To Authentic Cultural Encounters

Kyoto, Japan — Kiyomizu-dera stage in autumn — Image by © amanaimages/Corbis

In the shadow of Higashiyama Mountain in the temple district of Japan’s ancient capital, a modern oasis of serenity and style opens the doors to a city that is both beautiful and mysterious, breathtaking and inspiring. This is Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto, secluded amid a five acre (two hectare) 12th century pond garden, yet just moments from key centers of business, culture, history and natural wonders.

“Kyoto is one of the world’s most alluring cities, but she can be shy in revealing her secrets – our mission at Four Seasons is to help our guests discover her wonders and experience all the city has to offer,” says General Manager Alex Porteous, who leads the 270-person team at the intimate Hotel with 123 rooms and 57 Hotel Residences in the historic Higashiyama District, close to downtown.

CNKDYW Cherry blossom time, in Kiyomizu Dera Temple, in Kyoto, Japan. Image shot 2012. Exact date unknown.

The new Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto is the sister property of Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, suggesting an opportunity for travelers to experience the ancient and modern capitals of Japan in Four Seasons style. The company recently announced plans for a third hotel in Japan, in Tokyo’s Otemachi business district.

Welcome to Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto

A Good Night’s Rest: Guest rooms – including 13 suites – are designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates to showcase views of the pond garden, Myoho-in Temple and surrounding neighborhood. Traditional elements such as shoji panels, polished woods, locally crafted Kyoto-style fusuma screens and urushi lacquerware are paired with modern at-one’s-fingertips technologies. Selected accommodations, including the lavishly appointed Presidential Suite, also have balconies. At 245 square meters (2,637 square feet indoors plus additional furnished outdoors space, the Presidential Suite is one of Kyoto’s largest.  All guest rooms and suites feature the signature Four Seasons Bed.

Dining at Four Seasons: In a city renowned for its continuing history of innovative cuisine, Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto is a destination unto itself. The Brasserie brings the spirit of modern bistro fare to the city with a distinctive local twist. Dishes include Chef Tsuyoshi Iryo’s miso-marinated foie gras terrine and ox tongue bourguignon with local daikon and sprout salad. The pinnacle of Edo-Mae style sushi is showcased at the exclusive Sushi Wakon, produced by Michelin-starred Chef Red Masuda, with Chef Masashi Yamaguchi serving just 10 guests per seating at the eight meter long (26 foot) hinoki (cypress) counter. Two private dining spaces for 4 or 8 guests are also available.

In the inviting Lounge, guests are treated to gourmet bites to accompany selections of fine domestic and imported whiskies and other spirits, creative coffee drinks, “gastro” teas, and other beverages. Across the historic pond, a tea house awaits at Shakusui-tei, with a menu of local sakes and premium champagnes to sparkle alongside the water’s reflections in the evening.

Health and Well-Being: The Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Kyoto is grounded in the Japanese aesthetic of enso, connecting mind and body. A menu of ceremonious rituals, results-oriented therapies and indulgent journeys are performed by skilled therapists in one of seven treatment rooms, including a couple’s suite. Of special note are skin care treatments using Tatcha, a luxury brand inspired by the 200 year old style guide called Miyakofuzoku Kewaiden. French high-performance line Biologique Recherche and all-natural Sodashi from Australia are also featured alongside Kotoshina products formulated with organic green tea from Uji, Kyoto and French spa water for beautiful skin.

The Spa complex includes a sauna, steam and whirlpool; a full-service beauty salon; state-of-the-art fitness centre, and 20 meter (66 foot) indoor pool.

THE KNOT EXPANDS PRESENCE IN COUTURE BRIDAL FASHION INDUSTRY

Announces COUTURE Los Angeles Bridal Market for August 2014

XO Group Inc. www.xogroupinc.com), a global media and technology leader and creator of the top two wedding websites, www.TheKnot.com and www.WeddingChannel.com, today announces Couture LA, a new wholesale marketplace for the bridal fashion industry on the West Coast. The new show will be produced to bring leading bridal designers and salon buyers together in an unprecedented setting. In expanding its B2B business and establishing a new standard in the bridal trade show industry, The Knot will connect the industry’s most influential bridal gown designers with retailers at the iconic Siren Studios on famed Sunset Boulevard, in the heart of Hollywood

The Knot is the nation’s leading wedding resource, reaching nearly every bride in America through the number 1 wedding website, www.TheKnot.com; The Knot national and local wedding magazines; The Knot book series; and syndicated columns in newspapers nationwide. The Knot is the flagship brand of XO Group Inc. (www.xogroupinc.com), a global media and technology leader devoted to weddings, pregnancy and everything in between, providing young women with the trusted information, products and advice they need to guide them through the most transformative events of their lives.

“For 18 years and 36 seasons, Couture has helped establish some of the most iconic names in the wedding business at our NYC-based Couture Show, and the time is right to expand to provide the same high-level show to serve our partners’ needs on the West Coast,” said Jennifer Davidson, Global Fashion Director of The Knot. “We’re all about applying a fresh voice and intelligent solutions across each of our platforms. Our partner’s require a quality production that will help foster industry growth and deliver the latest styles into the doors of bridal salons and in turn, directly to brides. In doing so, our brides benefit and are ensured the latest styles from the top names in the business.”

The backdrop will include hip exhibit space in an actual Hollywood Soundstage, complete with “boulevards” named after famed LA landmarks where designers, buyers, stylists, media and industry leaders will get down to business in style. Already signed on for the August 2014 show are industry powerhouses (in alphabetical order): Alfred Angelo, Allure Bridals, Casablanca Bridal, Jasmine Bridals, Jordan Fashions, Maggie Sottero, Mon Cheri Bridals, Moonlight Bridals, Paloma Blanca, Private Label by G, Sincerity Bridals/Justin Alexander, Sottero & Midgley and Watters Bride/Wtoo.

“We are thrilled to have an all-star roster of industry leaders supporting this show at such an early stage. It proves once again that when we work together, we can create smart, successful, cost-effective solutions for the bridal industry,” said Davidson. “We are truly unique in that we are the only entity that touches every facet of this vast wedding eco-system, 365 days a year. We are the most-trusted voice to our brides and the essential media and B2B solution to our partners, the designers and salon operators. We are proud to step in and answer this call from our friends in the industry.”