Marketing

Retailers who report monthly sales are set to report their best December results in several years this Thursday assuming preseason forecasts and in-season upward revisions prove accurate. Total holiday sales are forecast to increase in the low- to mid-single digits, and Thursday’s monthly results from the likes of Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s, TJX and others will offer an indication of how good a season it was.

This should be interesting. “Target: Inside the Bullseye” is scheduled to air on CNBC Thursday, Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. EST. The documentary will repeat that evening at 10 p.m., 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. and will also re-air again on Jan. 15 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.

New York City -- Dress Barn on Monday announced it has been renamed Ascena Retail Group Inc. and will trade on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the ticker ASNA.

The company said it had reorganized under the new holding company, but was not making changes to operations, directors or officers. The names of its three specialty chains -- Dressbarn, Maurices and Justice, also are unchanged.

Executives from The Container Store and Urban Outfitters are among the retailers who will be honored at the National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention and EXPO, or BIG Show, which will be held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, Jan. 9-12, 2011.

The recipients will accept their awards during the show’s Annual Retail Industry Luncheon on Tuesday, Jan. 11.

The annual NRF Convention & EXPO has a strong history, and while the show’s early concept has evolved over the last century, its message remains the same: to bring together industry decision makers who want to find ways to drive their business.

Some attendees often question why NRF is held in New York City during January, when the weather can be downright brutal. But the reason is easy.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Building on its plans to open 625 new stores in fiscal 2011, Dollar General Corp. announced that it will create 6,000 new jobs. The new stores and jobs will be spread among Dollar General’s existing 35-state operating area, as well as three new states: Connecticut, Nevada and New Hampshire.

In addition to 625 new stores, the company plans to remodel or relocate 550 stores.

By Craig R. Johnson

Stratham, N.H. -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that outdoor gear retailer Timberland will expand its presence in mainland China from 110 stores currently to double that number.

According to the company’s president and CEO, Jeffrey Swartz, who was interviewed by WSJ, the retailer sees the potential to more than double its doors in the next three years.

Swartz said one way his company can connect with Chinese consumers is by highlighting its environmental credentials.