Marketing

Experts and regular folks alike are puzzled by the uproar over Starbucks’ holiday cup design, the Associated Press reported. Even New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan sounded a curious note, saying "I don't think it's like Starbucks had the Christmas crib on their cups to begin with.” [Associated Press]

Target's board of directors has added a former executive of the retailer's largest supplier.

The board announced it has elected Melanie Healey, former group president, North America, of the Procter & Gamble Company, as a new director, effective immediately.

Apple Inc. may be planning an entry into the fledging industry of mobile person-to-person payment.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is in discussions with several banks to develop a service that would let consumers make mobile payments to each other, rather than use cash or personal checks. The service would be in direct competition with the Venmo mobile payment platform from PayPal, which is popular among millennial consumers.

Strong back-to-school sales allowed Kohl's to upstage Macy's in the third quarter.

Kohl's revenue rose a better-than expected 1.2% to $4.43 billion in the period ended Oct. 31. Same-store sales rose 1%. Earnings fell to $120 million, or 63 cents a share, from $142 million, or 70 cents a share, a year earlier. Excluding a loss on the extinguishment of debt, adjusted per-share earnings were 75 cents a share, which also beat expectations.

Images courtesy of Bloomingdale’s

Target's board of directors has added a former executive of the retailer's largest supplier.

The board announced it has elected Melanie Healey, former group president, North America, of the Procter & Gamble Company, as a new director, effective immediately.

Bethesda, Md. -- EDENS announced the appointment of Rob Wyant as COO. Wyant brings over 30 years of experience in the retail real estate industry, with most of his career spent at General Growth and Westfield. He will use his vast knowledge in leasing, property managements, legal and tenant coordination functions, to inspire operational excellence at EDENS.

Top Pot Doughnuts will open its third Texas retail café at the new Richardson CityLine development located in Richardson.

The Seattle-based doughnut and coffee chain operates 20 stores in the Seattle-Tacoma and Dallas areas.

"We are thrilled to be a part of CityLine,” saidTop Pot Doughnuts co-founder Mark Klebeck. "We look forward to serving the businesses in this highly anticipated development as well as the residents of Richardson and Plano.”

American Apparel’s preliminary results for its third quarter are not looking very good.

The beleaguered retailer said it could not meet the deadline to file a quarterly report for the three months ended Sept. 30, noting that efforts related to its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in October have taken up a good deal of its time.

But American Apparel released estimates in which net sales for the quarter were down 19.1% to $126 million.

When Blake Fohl addressed the True Value Company’s retailers at the co-op’s most recent Reunion in Chicago, he let them in on a secret: The True Value Rewards program had gone “in-house.”