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<ul class="summary-list"><li>Bath &amp; Body Works and Amazon are <keyword id="11948706" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="retail-stocks" source="Orion">retail stocks</keyword> investors should "grab while you can" as the holidays approach, said Bank of America. </li><li>Many retailers are working to get shopping season underway sooner as they face supply-chain problems. </li></ul><a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/bbwi-stock">Bath &amp; Body Works</a>, <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/tgt-stock">Target</a> and <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/amzn-stock">Amazon</a> are among the retail stocks Bank of America is recommending investors "grab while you can," as consumers gear up for <keyword id="12102763" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="holiday-shopping" source="Orion">holiday shopping</keyword> with supply-chain headaches poised to worsen. Same-store sales during the fourth quarter look set to rise by 4.9%. Consumers are flush with cash they stockpiled during the COVID-19 pandemic, while stores are largely free from reduced store hours and stay-at-home mandates from a year ago. "This holiday season, we will lap all the store capacity constraints and expect strong comps in most categories as shoppers are more comfortable to do in-person shopping," said Bank of America retail analyst Lorraine Hutchinson in a research note published Wednesday. "And, as socialization continues to pick up, it is likely consumers will do more gift-buying and personal shopping (for occasionwear, for example) this season." Retailers have started encouraging people to start shopping earlier than usual to reduce the risk of items being sold out or packages arriving after the holiday season ends.The early-shopping push comes as the retail sector, like others, is dealing with supply-chain problems such as tied-up seaports, labor shortages and semiconductor shortfalls affecting the merchandise they sell. By offering perks like shopping services, retailers can spread out holiday spending and likely pull forward gift shopping, the bank said. That would help mitigate worsening supply-chain headwinds, with many retailers and restaurants already hiking prices to deal with increased costs. Bath &amp; Body Works was the investment bank's top pick among specialty retailers. The chain is one of the best-positioned retailers into the holidays as well as 2022, and the stock trades at a discount to makeup and personal care peers, according to the note."We think a return to more normal gifting this year (teachers, service providers, etc) will be a positive for demand for candles, lotions and gift packs," BofA said. It also noted the supply chain at Bath &amp; Body Works is roughly 90% domestically anchored, making it largely insulated from factory shutdowns and international shipping delays that put deliveries for other retailers at risk. Analysts put the price target for Bath &amp; Body Works stock at $90. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/wmt-stock">Walmart</a> and Target were the bank's top picks among discount retailers. The big-box giants have "strong inventory positions and more favorable port access, long-term container shipping agreements, and chartered vessel capacity." The price targets were $190 and $317, respectively. <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/sbux-stock">Starbucks</a> ranks first among restaurant stocks as higher gift card sales should lead to stronger demand for food and drink items. The price objective was $135. "Our Hardlines top pick is <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/low-stock">Lowe's</a> given that it has more negotiating power with suppliers and transportation partners compared to smaller-scale home improvement retailers," said BofA, which had a $281 price objective on the company.

Amazon, Bath & Body Works and other retail stocks are set for big gains as shoppers get ready for holiday buying spree, says Bank of America

<ul class="summary-list"><li>I'm a working mom with four boys under the age of seven. </li><li>I refused to get an <keyword id="12643052" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="elf-on-the-shelf" source="Orion">Elf on the Shelf</keyword> for years. I already had too much to do during the holidays. </li></ul>It's 10 p.m., and I'm making a miniature fishing pole out of a kebab skewer, a piece of string, and an ornament hook.Tonight, our Elf on the Shelf will be reeling in a Goldfish cracker. I marvel at how cute the scene looks and picture my boys' reactions in the morning. A few weeks earlier, I'd been adamant <a href="https://www.insider.com/elf-on-the-shelf-is-driving-parents-crazy-2017-12">I'd never get an Elf on the Shelf</a>. As a working mom with four boys under seven, I already had enough on my to-do list. And since my generation didn't grow up with <a href="https://www.insider.com/unique-us-christmas-traditions-2017-12">the tradition</a>, I didn't feel pressure to recreate that kind of Christmas magic for my kids. According to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.target.com%2Fp%2Fthe-elf-on-the-shelf-blue-eye-boy-elf-by-chanda-bell-hardcover%2F-%2FA-79960707">the story</a> written by Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chandra Bell, the elf observes children and reports their behavior to Santa. When the imp returns from the North Pole each morning, he finds a new perch, meaning parents must move the elf every night. Thanks to Pinterest, some kids wake up to elaborate scenes. My kids learned about Elf on the Shelf at school. Because their friends had elves at home, <a href="https://www.insider.com/elf-on-a-shelf-costume-photos-2017-12">they talked about their antics</a>. My kindergartener told us about how an Elf on the Shelf gave his classmate's dad a pedicure while he slept.When I saw my four-year-old fall to the floor laughing, I considered reneging on my anti-elf stance. <h2>The pandemic took away many of our holiday traditions</h2>In 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, my family couldn't spend the holidays with grandparents. Instead of visiting Santa in person, we saw him over Zoom. I knew that missing my traditions was trivial compared to the suffering many people endured during the pandemic. But I want my boys to have happy holiday recollections, and I wanted to have those experiences with them. I worried that in the memory banks of family fun, the year would be vacant.When I had my change of heart, the elves were sold out, so I bought a knock-off. When my six-year-old son spotted him on our mantle, his mouth hung open in disbelief. From that day on, the boys, who I normally wake from a deep sleep for school, jumped out of bed to find the elf they named "Christmas Max." A few days into having Max, I realized he provided much-needed excitement.When each day was a replica of the one before, his little actions punctuated our routine, making one day different from the next. Searching for him began our mornings on a festive note. My two-year-old twins chased their brothers around the house looking for Max. They all high-fived when they found him. When I noticed he was making our family's spirits brighter, I went all-in, getting more adventurous with the ways my kids discovered him. Max used M&amp;Ms to spell out messages from Santa. He had a mini marshmallow snowball fight with our Spiderman action figure and used a Sharpie to put minion faces on our bananas. The night I overheard the boys talking from their bunk beds, wondering aloud where Max would be tomorrow, I knew he'd come back next Christmas, too. My favorite part about the elf is that we made it our own. We don't follow all the "rules" in the book, and I don't think of Max as Santa's spy but as an opportunity for joy. I keep what he does simple, always using items I have at home. And the days he just moves from one location to the next, with no silly antics, my kids still enjoy finding him. This year, we'll see family for the holidays and Santa in person, but Christmas Max will be back too. Jessica Wozinsky Fleming is a writer and mom of four young sons. Find her online at <a href="https://www.jessica-fleming.com/">jessica-fleming.com</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/JessicaKFleming">@JessicaKFleming</a>.

I refused to get an Elf on the Shelf. The pandemic changed my mind, and it's now my family's favorite holiday tradition.

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Retailers are panic-buying as the supply-chain crisis stokes fears of holiday shortages. </li><li>But this natural instinct to over-order is shooting retailers in the foot, experts told Insider. </li></ul>Retailers are panic-buying for the holidays as the supply-chain crisis stokes fears of empty shelves during their most profitable season of the year. While over-ordering may be the natural human instinct, it actually ends up shooting retailers in the foot, experts told Insider. "If people think the banks are going to collapse, they go to the ATM and take out all the money, causing them to collapse," Dr. Tinglong Dai, a professor of operations management and business analytics at Johns Hopkins University, told Insider."The same goes for supply chains," he said. "When people expect there's going to be shortages for this holiday season, they increase their orders ... which led to a dramatic increase in <keyword id="11921983" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="shipping" source="Orion">shipping</keyword> to the US. That's why we see so many containers in our ports."He said this "self-fulfilling" process is intensified by the bullwhip effect, a phenomenon that causes supply-chain inefficiencies such as lengthy wait times and excess inventory due to distorted demand. "It's the industrial equivalent of stores running out of toilet paper," Ted Stank, faculty director of the Global <keyword id="11894138" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="supply-chain" source="Orion">Supply Chain</keyword> Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, told Insider. When retailers panic and order more, and earlier, than they usually would, it signals to manufacturers that consumer demand is increasing, even if it's not. Manufacturers react by increasing their orders from suppliers, inflating demand even more as it moves up the supply chain. "Consumer behavior was the beginning," Dai said. "But eventually it's the retailers and manufacturers whose actions caused this <keyword id="11894139" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="supply-chain-crisis" source="Orion">supply chain crisis</keyword>."Unlike the banking industry, which has regulations in place to prevent "bank panic" scenarios, the supply chain lacks any kind of central authority to limit how many units are ordered by retailers in a given timeframe. One solution to the bullwhip effect is communication between companies, both experts told Insider. However, retailers are hesitant to share important business data like demand metrics, making collaboration a rarity in the industry. "We really need the bigger players such as the Walmart and Costco and Target to become role models for others and avoid a bigger crisis from happening," Dai said. "The worst is yet to come."While Dai and Stank both agreed that shortages in the US will continue to get worse, they said it will be less of an emergency and more of an inconvenience for shoppers."We've become very spoiled <keyword id="11899812" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="consumers" source="Orion">consumers</keyword>," Stank said. "I think we're going to have to kind of go back in time a few decades ... we might not get things as quickly as we become accustomed to, but we'll be able to get them."

Consumers may have started the supply-chain crisis, but panicked retailers are making everything worse by over-ordering for the holidays

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Wall Street analysts say they "aren't as alarmed" about toy supply issues ahead of the holiday season.</li><li>Bigger toy companies have prepared up to a year in advance for expected shortages and delays.</li></ul>Consumers worried about the impact of <keyword id="11894138" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="supply-chain" source="Orion">supply chain</keyword> issues on their holiday <keyword id="11896038" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="shopping" source="Orion">shopping</keyword> plans might be spared the worst, as least if their buying plans include <keyword id="12242411" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="toys" source="Orion">toys</keyword>, some analysts say.Early planning and stockpiling is already proving valuable for toy retailers, as the industry enters a supply-strained, high-demand <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/holiday-ads-are-running-earlier-due-to-supply-chain-woes-2021-10">holiday season</a>, according to a report by investment banking company UBS. Demand has been "more resilient than anticipated" for toys, and companies like <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/mat-stock">Mattel</a> and <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/stocks/has-stock">Hasbro</a> are reporting strong sales and outpacing Wall Street expectations despite supply chain woes, UBS wrote in the report. "We believe toy makers have taken contingency measures to account for prolonged transit times, pushing some peak production timelines forward and securing more ports and transit lanes," the UBS report said. "And we believe top retailers have also taken measures to keep shelves restocked into November and December." Simon Geale, executive vice president at supply chain consultancy firm Proxima, echoed the UBS the report, telling Insider that retailers have had significant practice dealing with supply disruptions from 2020 and many already had contingency plans in place since the beginning of the year.According to Geale, many retailers forecast and prepare for such issues up to a year in advance, adding that he is already participating in meetings to discuss the 2022 holiday season. "The biggest and the best contingencies that organizations have probably already done were that they started to buy early, getting the right sorts of products into stock early," Geale said. Still, experts anticipate that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supply-chain-issues-delays-consumers-fix-shopping-strategies-2021-10">consumer spending patterns</a>, manufacturing delays, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-bidens-plan-us-ports-wont-solve-supply-chain-crisis-2021-10">distribution issues</a> will have a "negative impact on total sales" according to the UBS report. Experts are still anticipating <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/america-isnt-running-out-of-everything-supply-chain-2021-10">possible shortages in inventory due to high demand</a> for toys that could outweigh supply capabilities, resulting in rising freight prices, squeezed warehouse spaces, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-walmart-ups-might-miss-hiring-targets-labor-shortage-2021-9">labor shortages</a>.Additionally, as the industry attempts to readjust to pre-pandemic levels, retailers may have less goods to sell, which can manifest as empty shelves this Christmas.As a low-margin, high-volume good, toys have less freight options available to curb transport expenses, creating a bottleneck in the market. Companies will have to shave off toy lines that aren't as "hot" right now, said Steve Starobinsky, founder and CEO of toy advertising agency KID@HEART. Starobinsky said large <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/target-chartered-cargo-ship-to-sidestep-global-shipping-crisis-2021-9">retailers like Target</a> and Walmart that have been preparing accordingly for the 2021 holiday season are likely to have more stock for a smaller range of items, while smaller retailers without proper preparations in place will likely have less stock all around, leading to higher prices.Ultimately, he said he believes the toy industry is resilient and "recession-proof," having survived the throes of the 2020 pandemic holiday season, but still recommends that Americans try to get their shopping done early this year. He added he expects several lines of toys may be discontinued, especially smaller trinkets or one-off purchases that result from impulse buying. "This Christmas will be unlike others," Starobinsky said. "So getting a few presents, a few people checked off the Christmas list early, definitely won't hurt this year."

Fears of a toy shortage are overblown, Wall Street analysts say - but don't expect huge holiday sales

From May 15, the <keyword id="12266" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nepal" source="Orion">Nepal</keyword> government will increase regular public holidays to two days in a week in an effort to cut the consumption of <keyword id="31786" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="fuels" source="Orion">fuels</keyword> whose prices have skyrocketed in recent months in the country, a cabinet minister said. "A cabinet meeting on April 26 decided to implement the two-day public holidays in a week effective from May 15 on a trial basis," <keyword id="12005292" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="gyanendra-bahadur-karki" source="Orion">Gyanendra Bahadur Karki</keyword>, minister for communication and information technology, told reporters. Currently, Nepal is implementing a one-day public holiday in a week on Saturday, the new rule adds Sunday as an extra off-day, reports <keyword id="106387" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="xinhua-news-agency" source="Orion">Xinhua news agency</keyword>. As per the cabinet decision, the five-day work hours will be rescheduled to 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., from the existing office hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Earlier, Nepal's <keyword id="6358156" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="central-bank" source="Orion">central bank</keyword> had advised the government to implement two-day public holidays to reduce the consumption of fuels on the grounds that public mobility is reduced substantially during holidays. Fuels are the largest import item for Nepal, accounting for over 14 per cent of the total merchandise imports in the first eight months of the current fiscal year that began in mid-July 2021, according to the <keyword id="1953841" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="trade-and-export-promotion-centre" source="Orion">Trade and Export Promotion Centre</keyword>. As in other parts of the world, Nepal has seen the prices of fuels hike in recent months over the Russia-Ukraine conflict and other factors. Meanwhile, Nepal's gross foreign exchange reserves had decreased by 18.5 percent to $9.58 billion in mid-March, from $11.75 billion at the beginning of the current fiscal year, according to central bank statistics. In response to falling forex reserves, the government has imposed a ban on the import of some products, and the fuel allowance for government bodies has been cut by 20 per cent until the end of the current fiscal year. In the late 1990s, Nepal had experimented with two-day weekly holidays with a view to increasing the efficiency and productivity of government employees. The decision was then rolled back a few months later. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/ola-may-be-rushing-into-electric-cars-when-scooters-continue-to-underperform/articleshow/91141264.cms"></a><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-will-now-allow-users-to-remove-personal-information-from-their-search-results/articleshow/91142502.cms">Google will now allow users to remove personal information from their Search results</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/adani-enterprises-sets-up-a-wholly-owned-media-arm/articleshow/91128727.cms"></a><a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/space/news/skywatching-on-april-30-venus-and-jupiter-will-look-like-they-are-about-to-collide/articleshow/91145254.cms">Skywatching on April 30: Venus and Jupiter will look like they are about to collide</a>

Nepal to implement 2-day public holidays from May 15 to cut fuel consumption

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="12271174" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="sams-club" source="Orion">Sam's Club</keyword> expects <keyword id="12102763" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="holiday-shopping" source="Orion">holiday shopping</keyword> to soar this year as members host big events again.</li><li>The company will double portions for <keyword id="11909499" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="thanksgiving" source="Orion">Thanksgiving</keyword> food items and offer twice as many sales events.</li></ul>Sam's Club is expecting to enjoy substantial holiday sales this fall, topping off its record year for member growth.Tony Rogers, the company's chief member officer, told reporters in New York City he expects holiday shopping to boom this year because Americans could not safely hold parties in 2020. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises unvaccinated people <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/large-events/considerations-for-events-gatherings.html#:~:text=Limit%20in%2Dperson%20attendance%20or,at%20least%206%20feet%20apart.">limit indoor gatherings</a> to curb the spread of COVID-19.Customers have already signaled their desire to ring in the <keyword id="12030581" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="holidays" source="Orion">holidays</keyword>, as Sam's Club members began shopping for the holidays on September 1st, or the day seasonal items hit store floors. In prior years, members usually started holiday shopping in mid-November. Sam's Club members will have access to numerous holiday perks, including a wine subscription service, a holiday catalogue with 100 new toy items, and a sweepstakes for a $50,000 vacation. The company will also double portions for Thanksgiving food items to prepare for larger gatherings, and offer twice as many sales events for gift and holiday decor items.Sam's Club is having a historically productive year, posting a record high membership count as of August 2021. <keyword id="11893281" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="walmart" source="Orion">Walmart</keyword>, which owns Sam's Club, recently reported <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/17/walmart-wmt-earnings-q2-2022.html">$141 billion</a> in revenue for the second quarter, beating analysts expectations.Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said Sam's Club saw "double digit growth" over the last four quarters, and added the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sams-club-walmart-sales-membership-numbers-spike-2021-8">chain's current expansion</a> is the most he's seen in 19 years."Our membership has reached record levels, and our members are telling us it's 'game on' this <keyword id="12030580" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="christmas" source="Orion">Christmas</keyword>, maybe like never before," Rogers said in a release.Even with high member interest in holiday shopping, global supply chain disruption may but a wrench in Sam's Club lofty expectations. Many shoppers may have less selection and higher prices for gifts as manufacturing plants contend with the ongoing COVID crisis, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/shipping-crisis-supply-chain-problems-holiday-shopping-prices-expensive-2021-10">Insider's Mary Hanbury</a> reported. Analysts forecasted average price increases of anywhere between <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/29/business/toy-shortage-supply-chain-shipping-holidays/index.html">5%</a> and <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/retail/retail-prices-holiday-shopping-season-expert">30%</a> during the holidays.

You Searched For "bank holidays in 2021" and got 6 results

Amazon, Bath & Body Works and other retail stocks are set for big gains as shoppers get ready for holiday buying spree, says Bank of America

Carla Mozée

I refused to get an Elf on the Shelf. The pandemic changed my mind, and it's now my family's favorite holiday tradition.

Jessica Wozinsky Fleming

Consumers may have started the supply-chain crisis, but panicked retailers are making everything worse by over-ordering for the holidays

Hannah Towey

Fears of a toy shortage are overblown, Wall Street analysts say - but don't expect huge holiday sales

Francis Agustin

Nepal to implement 2-day public holidays from May 15 to cut fuel consumption

IANS

Sam's Club is banking on shoppers desperate need to throw big holiday bashes by doubling Thanksgiving portions

Allana Akhtar

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