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The National Retail Federation has released its forecast for this year's holiday sales: an increase of 4.1%—higher than the 10-year average holiday-sales increase of 3.5%. “This is the most optimistic forecast NRF has released since the recession," says NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay. "In spite of the uncertainties that exist in our economy and among consumers, we believe we’ll see solid holiday-sales growth this year.

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Birchbox, the U.S.-based beauty discovery commerce company, has acquired Paris-based JolieBox. The acquisition expands the company's footprint, distribution and partnerships.

"The delight of discovery extends across any border and to any culture," says Katia Beauchamp, Birchbox co-founder. "JolieBox, with its like-minded team and brand ethos, is the absolute perfect partner to build relationships with new customers and brand partners internationally while simultaneously improving distribution as we scale."

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Andis Co. has created a new marketing product manager position and hired Cheri Grabowski for the spot. Grabowski is responsible for guiding the development of new products. That includes the initial strategic positioning for the product, as well as coordinating development processes within the company, rolling out the product in the marketplace, and managing its performance throughout its life cycle.