Media Advisory: Retail Council of New York State Launches Annual Holiday Sales Watch

ALBANY, NY (11/20/2007)(readMedia)-- The Retail Council of New York State will issue its first Holiday Sales Watch for the 2007 shopping season on Wednesday, Nov. 28.

Each year during the holidays, the Retail Council surveys a sample of its members of all size and variety across New York state to collect general information about retail sales and trends. Results of the Holiday Sales Watch survey process for 2007 will be released on the following dates:

• Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007 -- Topic: Black Friday Report. How did retailers fare over the first weekend of the traditional holiday shopping season?

• Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007 -- Topic: Mid-season update. At the half-way point, what opinions do members have about the success of the holiday season?

• Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2008 -- Topic: Post-season wrap up. Did the season meet merchants’ expectations?

For members of the media interested in background information on the upcoming holiday shopping season, the Council issued the results of a forecast survey on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007. The survey gauged participating retailers’ expectations of the season and gathered other useful statistics. The results of this survey can be found at www.retailcouncilnys.com.

Please note that the Retail Council’s office will be CLOSED on “Black Friday,” Nov. 23, 2007, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Please call in advance with any media requests.

About the Retail Council of New York State:

The “Voice of Retailing” in New York state, the Retail Council represents 5,000 member stores of all sort and size. The Retail Council offers money-saving group benefit programs and government relations expertise to its members. For more information, please visit www.retailcouncilnys.com.

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