DOTHAN – The Alabama Retail Association will kick off its third annual Shop Alabama for the Holidays tour in Dothan! Just in time for the busiest shopping weeks of the year, Alabama Retail will announce the statewide shopping initiative and new holiday hashtag campaign, #DoubleYourGift, at a news conference and kick-off event. The event, hosted in partnership with the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, the City of Dothan, and Houston County, is set for 9:30 a.m. Nov. 19 at the Craft Closet at 2497 Montgomery Highway in Dothan.
WHAT: Shop Alabama for the Holidays Kickoff
WHO: Alabama Retail Association, Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, City of Dothan, Houston County, Craft Closet
WHERE: Craft Closet, 2497 Montgomery Highway, Dothan
WHEN: 9:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 19
The Alabama Retail Association predicts 2018 will be the strongest holiday shopping season on record for the state, with more than $12 billion dollars expected to be spent in the months of November and December. The numbers represent a 4.5 percent increase in holiday spending this year than last.
Other stops on the Shop Alabama for the Holidays tour include Clanton, Cullman, Huntsville, Montgomery, Opelika, Orange Beach and Scottsboro. Shop Alabama, an initiative of the Alabama Retail Association, encourages residents to create a powerful ripple effect in their community by keeping their shopping, dining and leisure dollars local. The annual Shop Alabama for the Holidays tour also celebrates the experiences, traditions and contributions local businesses bring to the holiday season. Retail, including food and drink establishments, supports one in four jobs in Alabama and brings in $19 billion, or 9.5 percent of Alabama’s gross domestic product, placing retail in the state’s top five highest-producing industries outside of government.
When you #ShopAlabama you STRENGTHEN your local economy, SUPPORT your community and INVEST in the vibrancy of your city!
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Melissa Johnson Warnke | 256.338.0621 (c) | 334.551.0631 (o)
The Alabama Retail Association represents retailers, the largest private employer in the state of Alabama, before the Alabama Legislature and the U.S. Congress. Through sales of food, clothing, furniture, medicine and more, our 4,200 independent merchant and national company members touch almost every aspect of daily living. Since 1943, we’ve worked to promote what’s best for the retail industry in Alabama. Whether voicing the retail view when public policy is made, educating members about issues that impact them, negotiating rates for benefits and services or communicating the retail story, the Alabama Retail Association and its members are better together.
Melia McKean | 334.792-5138
The Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce is a membership driven action agency designed to meet community and economic development needs. Its 950+ area business, professionals and individuals have banded together to advance the commercial, financial, civic, agricultural, industrial and general interests of the community.