Marketing

Target’s efforts to revamp its product assortment are apparently paying off for the company, which reported a nearly 52% surge in first quarter profit on strong sales of fashion, home and beauty products.

The company posted a profit of $635 million for the three months that ended May 2. Same store sales rose 2.3%, beating forecasts. Revenue rose 2.8% to $17 billion. Online sales rose nearly 38%.

A legal veteran of Abercrombie & Fitch and Harvard Law grad has been named general counsel for Big Lots.

Ronald "Rocky" Robins Jr. becomes SVP general counsel and corporate secretary at Big Lots. Robins will be a member of the executive leadership team of the company and report directly to David Campisi, CEO and president.

Expenses related to a corporate restructuring led Etsy Inc. to report a huge loss in the first quarter.

A month after being named America's favorite home improvement store, Ace Hardware reported record profit in the first quarter of 2015.

Kohl’s is testing the off-price waters by opening a discount store in Cherry Hill, N.J., this summer called "Off Aisle by Kohl's," the company has confirmed.

Improved, "costumer-focused" merchandising helped American Eagle Outfitters post record net income in the first quarter.

Smart & Final is launching a new marketing blitz that puts its use of punctuation front and center.

The rollout will include print, radio, television and outdoor advertising in select markets and digital outreach now through July 3. The new campaign aims to tell the story of what the value-oriented food and staples retailer has become through its growth initiatives and will highlight the company's heritage.

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Etsy Inc., the online marketplace for handmade goods, has released its first-ever earnings report, which shows growth in both net loss and revenue. Net loss increased substantially to $36.6 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 from $500,000 the same quarter the prior year.

Salt Lake City - Phillips Edison & Co. is introducing a new program created to empower and prepare emerging leaders for a successful future. Innovation Labs is a professional development series that places associates from various departments on a team and assigns a real-life challenge facing the company.

San Jose, Calif. – eBay reportedly plans to launch a program in Germany that will compete with the Amazon Prime expedited shipping service. According to The Street, eBay Germany will roll out the program, which appears to focus on sellers rather than buyers, in the second half of 2015.