On PR Newswire: Christmas Sales Predicted, Best Colleges Announced, Motor Vehicle Death Rate Rises Despite Quarantines

With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire for Journalists. Here are some of this week’s most newsworthy:

Source: PRNewsfoto/Holiday Shopping

A Tale of Two Holiday Seasons: As a K-Shaped Recovery Model Emerges, Consumer Spending Heavily Bifurcated

Holiday retail sales are likely to increase between 1% and 1.5%, according to Deloitte’s annual holiday retail forecast. Overall, Deloitte’s retail and distribution team projects that holiday spending will result in sales between $1,147 billion and $1,152 billion during the November-January timeframe. Deloitte also forecasts that e-commerce sales will grow by 25% to 35%, year-over-year, during the 2020-2021 holiday season, compared to sales increasing by 14.7% in 2019. E-commerce holiday sales are expected to generate between $182 billion and $196 billion this season.

Source: PRNewsfoto/University classsroom

U.S. News & World Report Announces the 2021 Best Colleges Rankings

U.S. News & World Report unveiled on Sept. 14 the 2021 U.S. News Best Colleges. As students and schools across the nation grapple with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. News remains committed to providing data-driven information and guidance to help prospective students and their families understand their higher education options.

Source: PRNewsfoto/J.Crew

J.Crew Group Successfully Emerges From Financial Restructuring Process Positioned for Sustainable and Profitable Growth

J.Crew Group announced on Sept. 10 that it has successfully completed its financial restructuring process and emerged from chapter 11 well-positioned for long-term growth. As part of its financial restructuring, the company has equitized more than $1.6 billion of secured indebtedness, and Anchorage Capital Group L.L.C. has become the majority owner of the company.

Source: PRNewsfoto/car collision

NSC Estimates: U.S. Saw a 20% Jump in Motor Vehicle Death Rates in First Six Months of 2020, Despite Quarantines

Preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council based on the first six months of data from all 50 states tell an erratic story about the nation’s driving behaviors and the impact of COVID-19 on roadway safety. The U.S. experienced an estimated 20% jump in the death rate – an indicator of how safely drivers are using the roadways – between January and June 2020 compared to the same six-month period in 2019. The rate increase comes in spite of a 17% drop in the number of miles driven between January and June. The total number of deaths is up 1% from six-month figures in 2019.

Source: PRNewsfoto/Hershey’s

Get Out Your Holiday Lights Because Hershey’s Holiday Lineup Is Here

Hershey is spreading holiday cheer this year with new product innovations from Hershey’s, Reese’s, Kit Kat and Ice Breakers brands featuring new flavors, unique shapes, and even chocolate bars you can play with! Introducing Hershey’s Kisses Sugar Cookie candy, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Build-A-Santa, Hershey’s Cookies ‘N’ Creme Build-A-Snowman, Reese’s Peanut Butter Nutcrackers, Reese’s White Elephant, Reese’s Miniatures Mega Cane, Kit Kat Duos Mint + Dark Chocolate Snack Size, and Ice Breakers Snowman Bottle Pack Gum, all brand new and available nationwide beginning October 2020. Hershey has you covered this holiday season with new treats perfect for baking, gifting, and playing!

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Larry Grady is online content manager at PR Newswire for Journalists.  He has worked in business media for nearly 30 years and enjoys reality TV and daydreaming about travel and wine.