Assessing the Success of the Holiday Season: January May Prove to Be the Most Critical Month

Assessing the Success of the Holiday Season: January May Prove to Be the Most Critical Month


Deloitte & Touche USA Sources Available to Discuss How Post-December 25
Shopping, January Gift Card Redemptions, Alternative Shopping Venues are
Impacting the Retail Outlook

WHAT: Traditional metrics do not tell the full story.
January continues to gain in importance for the holiday season.
Today's consumers don't stop shopping on December 24. In our
annual holiday survey, conducted in October 2004, 60% of
respondents said they plan to continue to shop after December 25,
with about one-fifth of total holiday budgets expected to be
spent during the post-holiday timeframe. Gift cards are also
helping to extend the holiday period, as the gift card recipients
start redeeming their cards.

WHO: Deloitte & Touche USA's National Managing Partner of Consumer
Business Industries, Tara Weiner, is available to discuss:
* Why consumer procrastination, changes in shopping patterns and
gift cards are pushing the holiday season into January
* Why online sales continue to be strong
* How the rise in oil and gas prices are continuing to impact
shoppers

WHY: In our holiday survey, 64% of the respondents told us they expect
to buy gift cards this year.
This percentage has increased from 55% in 2002 -- 9 percentage
points in just two years. During the 2003-4 holiday season, 50%
of consumers redeemed some or all of their gift cards by the
first week of January -- extending holiday spending into January.
According to Commerce Department data, the January 2004 growth
rate -- 7.8% -- was the strongest of the November, December,
January period. This strong growth points to the importance of
January in the total holiday picture.

CONTACT: To arrange an interview with Tara Weiner, National Managing
Partner of Consumer Business Industries at Deloitte & Touche USA,
please contact:

Kaplan Mobray Laura Wilker
Deloitte Services LP Deloitte Services LP
212-436-2695 212-436-4697
kmobray@deloitte.comlwilker@deloitte.com


About Deloitte


Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss Verein, its member firms, and their respective subsidiaries and affiliates. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu is an organization of member firms around the world devoted to excellence in providing professional services and advice, focused on client service through a global strategy executed locally in nearly 150 countries. With access to the deep intellectual capital of 120,000 people worldwide, Deloitte delivers services in four professional areas -- audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services -- and serves more than one- half of the world's largest companies, as well as large national enterprises, public institutions, locally important clients, and successful, fast-growing global growth companies. Services are not provided by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Verein, and, for regulatory and other reasons, certain member firms do not provide services in all four professional areas.

As a Swiss Verein (association), neither Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu nor any of its member firms has any liability for each other's acts or omissions. Each of the member firms is a separate and independent legal entity operating under the names "Deloitte," "Deloitte & Touche," "Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu," or other related names.

In the U.S., Deloitte & Touche USA LLP is the member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, and services are provided by the subsidiaries of Deloitte & Touche USA LLP (Deloitte & Touche LLP, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Deloitte Tax LLP, and their subsidiaries) and not by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. The subsidiaries of the U.S. member firm are among the nation's leading professional services firms, providing audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services through nearly 30,000 people in more than 80 cities. Known as employers of choice for innovative human resources programs, they are dedicated to helping their clients and their people excel. For more information, please visit the U.S. member firm's website at http://www.deloitte.com/us.

PRNewswire -- Dec. 28


Source: Deloitte & Touche USA

Web site: http://www.deloitte.com/us


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