INTEL: Swatch opens new store, tourism expert praises Red Rock Resort

There’s a new Swatch store opening next week Las Vegas.

The new shop will be on the first floor of New York-New York, joining other retailers such as Harley-Davidson and It’s Sugar.

Opening day is Dec. 21. The only other stand-alone Swatch in Las Vegas is at the Forum Shops at Caesars.

If you happen to see a Kohl’s employee later this week, hand that person a coffee.

Kohl’s department stores around the country are staying open for more than 100 hours straight, from 6 a.m. Dec. 20 through 6 p.m. Dec. 24. To further appeal to customers, the nationwide chain also is offering a “no-questions-asked” return policy and free gift boxes. Any customer who makes a purchase from one of their in-store kiosks also will receive free standard shipping within the United States.

Take that, holiday shopping competition.

Expect more home décor at the 2014 Winter Las Vegas Market.

International Market Centers has expanded home décor resources at the twice-yearly market by adding 24 suppliers to the event scheduled from Jan. 26-30 at World Market Center Las Vegas.

“This realignment and growth of home-focused resources at the Las Vegas Market is phase two of a three-year transformation strategy to position Las Vegas as the leading market in the western U.S. for furniture, home décor and giftware,” said Dorothy Belshaw, president of Gift & Home Décor, International Market Centers.

Included in the total are 12 home décor vendors that will occupy 39,875 square feet of permanent showrooms at the World Market Center.

From a constant traveler, it was a high compliment.

Tourism security expert Peter Tarlow spoke at the 2013 Governor’s Conference on Tourism. The event was at Red Rock Resort, where Tarlow also stayed while in town from Texas.

During his session, he told the roughly 100-member audience that he was awed by the service and security Red Rock’s staff provided him.

He added that the property could be a model hotel.

Sometimes with gains comes serious loss.

In its annual Return Fraud Survey, the National Retail Federation is estimating the retail industry will lose about $8.76 billion to return fraud this year, with $3.39 billion being lost during the holiday shopping season. Overall, 5.8 percent of holiday returns are fraudulent, up slightly from 4.6 percent last year.

“While coverage of this issue paints return fraud as one of the ‘less severe’ retail crimes, the fact of the matter is that returning used or stolen items, or even using false tender to purchase items is fraud, period,” federation Vice President of Loss Prevention Rich Mellor said. “Recent efforts to combat fraudulent activity are slowly starting to work, but criminals are becoming more savvy and technologically advanced in their methods, making it even more difficult for retailers and law enforcement to keep up with the growing problem.”

One of the biggest issues for retailers is the return of used, nondefective merchandise like special occasion apparel and electronics. Many companies have employed specific tactics to help curb this practice, and are beginning to see the fruits of their labor: 62.1 percent report having been victims this year, down from 64.9 percent in 2012.

This year, Las Vegas made the list.

In its fourth annual list of the Top 10 U.S. Destinations for 2014, Lonely Planet editors named Las Vegas No. 8.

The list aims to look at what’s new, interesting and likely to be overlooked by travelers for the year ahead. This year the Grand Rapids and Lake Michigan’s Gold Coast took the No. 1 spot, followed by California’s Yosemite National Park. Boston took No. 3 and California’s Central Coast took No. 4.

Lonely Planet’s crew named Fremont East and the Arts District downtown as must-see spots.

Contact reporter Laura Carroll at lcarroll@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4588. Follow @lscvegas on Twitter.