The National Retail Federation (NRF) has released its 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, and the report predicts a slight decrease in the average amount each shopper will spend this holiday season. According to the survey, shoppers say they plan to shell out an average of $704.18 on holiday gifts and seasonal merchandise, down slightly from last year’s $718.98. NRF still forecasts overall holiday retail sales to grow 2.8 percent during November and December to $465.6 billion.

Holiday shoppers also plan to take advantage of sales and discounts to purchase goods for themselves. Nearly six in 10 holiday shoppers (59.9 percent) say they plan to purchase additional non-gifts for themselves and their families during the holiday season. The largest portion of a consumer’s holiday budget will go to family members, with the average person spending $403.26 on kids, parents, and other family members. Additionally, an average of $68.23 will be spent on friends, followed by $21.06 on co-workers, and $23.39 on other gifts. Consumers will also spend on decorations ($46.73), greeting cards ($26.52), candy and food ($96.75), and flowers ($18.23.) Gift cards will be popular with consumers again this year, with 57.7 percent of shoppers saying they’d like to receive a gift card this holiday season.

Discount stores will see the most traffic with 66.1 percent of respondents saying they will head to those shops compared to 65.1 percent last year. Other retailers include department stores (56.9 percent vs. 54.5 percent last year), clothing or accessory stores (35.2 percent vs. 33.6 percent last year), drug stores (21.1 percent vs. 18.9 percent last year), grocery stores and supermarkets (48.8 percent vs. 46.7 percent last year), and crafts and fabric stores (17.5 percent vs. 16.1 percent in 2010).

Internet shopping will continue to be popular this holiday season; nearly half (46.7 percent) of shoppers will buy online, up from 43.9 percent last year. The average holiday shopper plans to do 36 percent of their shopping online. Additionally, half of those surveyed who own a smartphone (52.6 percent) said they will use their device to research products, redeem coupons, use apps to assist in their purchase, or purchase holiday gifts and items. Tablet owners are even more likely to use their device to aid in their holiday shopping; seven in 10 (70.5 percent) tablet owners will research and shop using their device.

For more results from the survey, click here.

According to multiple news outlets, including the Financial Times, Mattel is in talks with Apax Partners to buy Hit Entertainment for £500 million. Two anonymous sources told the Financial Times that Mattel is in the final stages of negotiations to purchase the company that Apax bought in 2005 for £489 million. The sale of Hit will not include the group’s stake in children’s channel Sprout, but will include Bob the Builder, Thomas the Tank Engine, Angelina Ballerina, Fireman Sam, and Pingu.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) is expecting this year’s holiday season to be just average. Although last year’s holiday season outperformed most analysts’ expectations, NRF expects 2011 holiday retail sales to increase 2.8 percent to $465.6 billion, close to the 10-year average holiday sales increase of 2.6 percent. Last year, retailers experienced a 5.2 percent increase.

For the first time this year, NRF used its holiday forecasting model to create a projection for seasonal hiring in retail. According to NRF, retailers are expected to hire between 480,000 and 500,000 seasonal workers this holiday season, which is comparable to the 495,000 seasonal employees they hired last year.

“Retailers have done a commendable job keeping their inventory levels where they need to be, while still offering attractive promotions for those who are eager to spend,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “The big challenge retailers will face in the coming months, however, will be going head to head with high cotton, food, and energy prices.”

“February retail sales are in sync with evidence of the expanding economy,” said NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz. “While February is typically a slow month for retailers, consumers showed their spending power, though it’s too soon to tell what type of impact the spike in gasoline prices will have on consumers this spring.”

February retail sales released today by the U.S. Commerce Department show total retail sales (which include non-general merchandise categories such as autos, gasoline stations, and restaurants) increased 1 percent seasonally adjusted over January and 9.1 percent unadjusted year-over-year. Solid growth in discretionary spending was seen across the board.

Tomy Company, Ltd. and RC2 Corporation have entered into a definitive agreement pursuant to which Tomy will acquire RC2 through an all-cash tender offer and second-step merger valued at approximately $640 million. The transaction was approved by Tomy’s board of directors. RC2’s board of directors has also approved the agreement and recommended that RC2’s stockholders tender their shares to Tomy pursuant to the offer. Tomy, through a U.S. subsidiary, will make an offer to purchase all outstanding shares of RC2 common stock for $27.90 per share. The tender offer price represents a 30.9 percent premium to RC2’s average closing stock price over the three-month period ended March 9, 2011, and a 27.2 percent premium over the closing price of RC2’s common stock on March 9, 2011. The tender offer is scheduled to commence in 10 business days and is expected to close during the second quarter of this year. The tender offer is subject to certain customary conditions, including the tender of a majority of the outstanding shares of RC2’s common stock on a fully diluted basis. The transaction is not conditioned on financing. Following completion of the tender offer, Tomy will acquire the remaining outstanding shares of RC2’s common stock for $27.90 per share through a second-step merger.

The intent of the transaction is to strengthen both companies and create a global platform to drive further growth from existing owned and licensed brands, as well as launch new global brands and product lines, ultimately delivering significant benefits to consumers, customers, and employees. The combined companies will benefit from a more diversified product portfolio, greater leverage of Tomy’s extensive R&D, sourcing, and manufacturing network and greater access to the U.S. and Japan, two of the world’s largest toy and juvenile product markets. RC2’s brands will continue to be managed by the current leadership team who are expected to drive future development of the business.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, RC2 may solicit acquisition proposals from third parties for a period of 30 calendar days continuing through April 9, 2011, subject to extension for an additional 15 calendar days in limited circumstances. It is not anticipated that any developments will be disclosed with regard to this process unless RC2’s board of directors decides to accept a superior proposal or to require Tomy to extend the offer in connection with a potential superior proposal in the limited circumstances provided in the merger agreement. The merger agreement provides Tomy with a customary right to match a superior proposal. There are no guarantees that this process will result in an alternative transaction.

BofA Merrill Lynch is acting as exclusive financial adviser to Tomy, while Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, and Nishimura & Asahi are acting as legal advisers for Tomy with regard to the transaction. Robert W. Baird & Co. is acting as exclusive financial adviser to RC2 and Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. is acting as its legal adviser.

Wild Creations was named the 2010 Fastest Growing Company in South Carolina for their whopping 313 percent average growth. The company was founded in 2007 by Rhett Power and Peter Gasca, and carried one core product: the EcoAquarium. Today, Power and Gasca oversee 80 warehouse employees who package over 80 SKUs to more than 2,000 retailers, including Brookstone, Hallmark, and Learning Express.

According to The Post and Courier, eligible companies “had to be operating for more than three years, have more than $3 million in annual revenue, and be headquartered in South Carolina.”

For more information on Wild Creations and its product lines, visit www.wildcreations.com.

Last week, a federal jury awarded British-based Celador International, Ltd. $269.4 million in damages after unanimously finding that Disney subsidiaries ABC Television, Buena Vista Television, and Valleycrest Productions, Ltd., had breached their contract with the company to share profits from the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

The lawsuit (Celador International, Ltd. v. Walt Disney Co.) was filed in 2004 after The Walt Disney Co. reported that Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, created by Celador, never made a profit and generated more than $70 million in losses for the company, although the game show took ABC from No. 4 to No. 1 in network rankings. Celador licensed rights to the game show to ABC Television and Buena Vista Television as part of a deal in which Celador would get 50 percent of the profits from the show.

The nine-member jury, after deliberating for two and a half days, found that the defendants breached the implied “covenant of good faith and fair dealing” they owed to Celador.

According to the annual Licensing Industry Survey by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA), brand owners collected nearly $5.2 billion in licensing royalty revenue in North America in 2009, down 8.7 percent from the year before. This marks the second year of decline; overall royalty revenues declined 5.6 percent in 2008.

In the survey, brand owners cited last year’s sluggish consumer spending, a conservative climate at retail, a longer decision-making cycle, and royalty pressure as reasons for the decline. However, brand owners were optimistic, reporting success in expanding their licensing business internationally in 2009. Licensors also reported a continued trend of more diversified retail distribution.

In 2009, the character segment, which produces 46 percent of licensing industry royalty revenues, declined 7.9 percent. Other major segments of the licensing industry include corporate trademarks/brands (17 percent), fashion (14 percent), and sports (13 percent).

The survey results were released at the opening session of the Licensing International Expo 2010. The numbers were derived from results of LIMA’s annual survey of companies that are directly involved in the licensing business, an examination of public financial documents, and interviews with licensing industry executives.