THE GAZETTE
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Wednesday, October 9, 2013 o
Shutdown could hurt consumer confidence Earlier primary means Could mean holiday shopping takes a hit less time to raise funds n
BY
Retail spending during the holiday season in November and December dwarfs other seasons:
KEVIN JAMES SHAY STAFF WRITER
The fourth quarter is traditionally the retail industry’s time to shine, with consumer confidence a key part of getting smartphones and iPad minis to fly out ofstorestounderpeople’sChristmas trees. But the federal government shutdown comes at one of the worst times for retailers just as they prepare for the holiday shopping season, the busiest time of the year for most stores. November and December can account for as much as 40 percent of a store’s annual sales. “We think we can weather this if [the shutdown] gets resolved quickly,” said Matthew Shay, president of the National Retail Federation, this week in a conference call. “But obviously, we are very concerned that if this drags on for an extended period of time, it’s going to affect consumer confidence and it’s got implications for the entire rest
n Christmas and other winter holidays: $602.1 billion
n Easter: $16.8 billion
n Father’s Day: $12.7 billion
n Back to school and college: $83.8 billion
n Super Bowl: $11.0 billion
n Mother’s Day: $18.6 billion
n Halloween: $8 billion
n Valentine’s Day: $17.6 billion
n St. Patrick’s Day: $4.6 billion SOURCE: NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION
of the holiday shopping season.” At the Montgomery Village Center Spirit store, sales have not slowed this week since the shutdown started early Tuesday, said Joe Korgash, a manager at the seasonal retailer that focuses on costumes and accessories for Halloween. The store has been in that Gaithersburg location since late August and closes a few days after Halloween. “We have continued to be busy,” Korgash said Thursday. “I haven’t seen any change in customer traffic this week.” The retail federation expects holiday sales nationwide to increase by almost 4 percent to $602.1 billion over last year.
“Overall, retailers are optimistic for the 2013 holiday season, hoping political debates over government spending and the debt ceiling do not erase any economic progress we’ve already made,” Shay said. Online sales during November and December are expected to grow between 13 percent and 15 percent over last holiday season to as much as $82 billion, according to Shop.org. Last year’s online sales during the fourth quarter rose 15.5 percent over 2011’s fourth quarter. This year’s season will welcome several new stores that weren’t around a year ago. Costco opened in Wheaton in
April, while Wegmans and some smaller retailers near it debuted last month in Germantown. Crown, a multi-use development under construction in Gaithersburg near the Washingtonian Center, has opened a Starbucks and will have other retailers open in a few months, including a Harris Teeter grocery store. The community broke ground about a year ago and has “dozens” of sales of units, said Kristine Warner, a spokeswoman for Crown. “Crown is really taking shape,” Warner said. Retail employment in Montgomery and Frederick counties rose by 1,700 jobs between August and August 2012, according to the latest federal labor figures. Wal-Mart and Kohl’s — two of the largest retail employers in Montgomery and Frederick — plan to hire about the same number of seasonal employees as last year. Another large area retailer, Target, plans to hire about 20 percent less, as officials said they want to let permanent workers get more hours and respond better to changes during the holiday season.
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Events, announcements to watch in Maryland political circles this fall
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BY
KATE S. ALEXANDER STAFF WRITER
With Maryland’s primary election nine months away, candidates, campaigns and committees are hosting events and collecting money to make their January financial filings as fat as possible. Maryland Election Law prohibits the state’s governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, comptroller and members of the legislature from raising a single dime during the annual General Session, said Jared Demarinis, the director of the State Board of Elections’ Candidacy and Campaign Finance Division. The General Assembly’s 90day session for 2014 starts Jan. 8 and ends April 7.
Next year’s primary is June 24, three months earlier than in past elections. That means many candidates, their campaigns and endorsers will have two-anda-half months to raise critical campaign dollars after the close of the session. Without the summer to fundraise, candidates are stacking their calendars this fall. Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown’s gubernatorial campaign manager, Justin Schall, said little about where Brown will be between now and the end of the year. Schall would say only that Brown (D) will be busy with “dozens of fundraisers” and that he will have two policy announcements in October and an announcement about the campaign’s grassroots efforts next week. “We are going to be very focused on fundraising as we roll through end of the year,” Schall said. Also running for governor, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has at least a dozen appearances booked between now and the end of November. Another gubernatorial candidate, Del. Heather Mizeur (D-Dist. 20) of Takoma Park, has only three events booked so far this fall. Among the Republican candidates for governor, Harford County Executive David R. Craig (D) has 14 campaign stops scheduled in October alone. Charles Lollar (R) has seven between now and the end of November. Someone speaking on behalf of Del. Ronald A. George (R-Dist. 30) of Arnold said George has “several” planned, but he would not detail when or where George will be campaigning. Here are some key events to keep your eye on. Monday: Professional firefighters in Maryland voted last week to back a candidate for governor. The union said it expected to announce its choice this week. Tuesday: After finally replacing former Sen. Robert Garagiola, the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee will meet again to pick a lawmaker for another open seat in District 15. This time, it will replace former Del. Brian Feldman. Gov. Martin O’Malley appointed Feldman (D) to Garagiola’s Senate seat in September, sending the Central Committee back for round two in the district. Oct. 12: Maryland Republicans celebrate Fall with an Oktoberfest fundraiser in Timonium. Oct. 17: Transportation leaders will visit Montgomery County on their annual tour across the state to hear priorities for the fiscal 2015 budget. Oct. 18-19: Candidates for governor are expected to descend on the annual Maryland State Educators Association Convention in Ocean City as they jockey for the union’s endorsement. So far, Craig and Gansler have confirmed they will be at the convention. Brown’s camp hinted at the same, while Lollar’s representative did not know of the convention or what MSEA was. Oct. 25-27: Maryland State and District of Columbia AFLCIO is expected to vote on its picks for governor, comptroller, attorney general and Congress. The union was scheduled to have interviewed candidates for governor on Thursday. At its convention in Baltimore, to be held Oct. 25-27, members are expected to vote. Nov. 5: An environmental group, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, will host a forum with the candidates for governor. Nov. 9: School is back in session — campaign school that is. Maryland’s Federation of Republican Women will host Campaign School during its annual fall convention in Gaithersburg. School is open to candidates and campaign workers and has the blessing of the Republican National Committee. Nov. 20: Montgomery County’s Senate and House delegations will hold a joint hearing to listen to what is on the public’s mind and agenda for the next legislative session. As an openended forum for residents to come and talk on just about anything, “it’s always a free-for-all,” House delegation chair Anne R. Kaiser (D-Dist. 14) of Burtonsville said. kalexander@gazette.net