Marketing

Target is engaging Facebook to help determine how half of a $5 million back-to-school donation is allocated.

The retailer plans to donate $5 million to schools as part of its “Give With Target” initiative this fall. The two-part giving campaign provides $2.5 million in grants to in-need schools, as well as up to $2.5 million in Target GiftCards to local schools through votes on Target’s Facebook page.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has taken issue with an opinion piece that appears in the August 1, 2012, issue of the Wall Street Journal. The piece, written by United States Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), is about the Marketplace Fairness Act (the legislation would end special treatment for online-only retailers who currently exploit a decade’s old loophole to avoid collecting and remitting state sales tax, according to RILA).

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — With new clothes and supplies topping the list of what most parents are shopping for during back-to-school season, it makes sense that OfficeMax and Old Navy would join forces to maximize their offerings, delivering savings for customers and sales for them.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club announced that Dale Talde, celebrity chef and owner of Talde and the soon-to-be opened Pork Slope Restaurant, both in New York, joins the Sam's Club Simply Delicious Chef Brigade to help families serve up healthy, restaurant-quality meals in their own backyard.

I’ll say this for Ron Johnson: He has turned staid J.C. Penney into the most talked-about retailer in the nation. The company accounted for five of the 10 most-viewed stories on this website in the first half of 2012 (see story). And industry analysts and consultants can’t stop speculating on the chain’s fortunes, in print, on the web and on television.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Luxury appliance maker Jenn-Air has signed on as the exclusive major appliance sponsor of the second annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival.

This 2012 Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival will feature more than 50 events including wine seminars, unique dining experiences, and cooking demonstrations. The event will host more than 130 celebrated chefs and 200 acclaimed wineries, with proceeds raised benefiting St. Vincent Meals on Wheels.

Hong Kong -- A Tuesday report by Bloomberg said that J. Crew will open its first Asia store – in Hong Kong – as early as 2013. CEO Millard “Mickey” Drexler told the news service that the retailer is also seeking sites in Beijing and Shanghai.

“We feel that we’re ready to go international,” said Drexler. “Going international is a strong learning curve and it could distract us from building our business in the United States, but we feel that the time is right now.”

Lowe’s made an offer, but Rona refused.

The two North American home improvement giants will continue to operate as competitors in Canada, where Lowe’s has been growing organically for the past several years amid rumors that just such an acquisition play was in the cards.