【ccw in stanislaus county】Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. Is Banking on 'Star Wars' Magic, Layaway This Season (WMT)

Wal-Mart Stores,ccw in stanislaus county Inc.

(

WMT

) is giving the people what they want well ahead of the holiday season with the return of its

layaway program

, making toys accessible for a broad range of consumers. For the second consecutive year, the retailer is starting its holiday layaway early to boost its year-end shopping season, reports

Reuters

.

Wal-Mart

is also hoping for a return of "

the force

" -- that is, in this context, bolstered sales due to "

Star Wars

" toys.

Walt Disney Co.

(DIS) is releasing the next installment of the franchise Dec. 16.

The layaway program lets consumers pay just 10 percent or $10 of a product's cost, whichever is the higher number. Customers must pay their balance by Dec. 12. This could help consumers start holiday shopping early and maintain a budget.

There's no fee for starting a layaway account, which can include products as low as $10 and mandates a $50 minimum total. The program begins Friday.

The

retailer

's motivation here, of course, has to do with the potential for stronger sales. Reuters points to analyst estimates that imply the program, in needier sections of the U.S., could be responsible for up to 15 percent of holiday revenue.

Meanwhile, the "Star Wars" hopes are well-founded. Movie-inspired toy sales rose 9.4 percent last year, according to the NPD Group. NPD data showed U.S. toy sales ticked up 6.7 percent in 2015, up 0.5 percent from its prediction for the year.

WMT stock is up about 16.7 percent on the year, while

DIS

is down almost 10 percent.

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