Strategy

Consumer Reports readers who shop at Target gave the company middle-of-the-road marks on service and its perishable offerings, but the company scored better on pricing and received the highest marks possible on cleanliness.

NEW YORK — Saks has named Michael Burgess as president of its direct business, effective May 7, 2012. Burgess will report to Denise Incandela, EVP and chief marketing officer for Saks Fifth Avenue and current president of Saks direct.

By Tony Burton, [email protected]

Tax season is upon us and retailers are aiming to get all of their ducks in a row. Yet, there are a number of complicated tax issues that are difficult for retailers to manage and many will be worrying about audits and penalties after they have filed. During an audit, numerous U.S. retailers discover that inaccurate or outdated geolocational data has led them to take too much or too little tax on customer payments or employee withholdings.

Walmart has joined Adidas, H&M and Levi’s a member of the Better Cotton Initiative’s Fast Track program to encourage the production and purchase of sustainable cotton. For its part, Walmart will give $650,000 in grant money to help cotton farmers become more efficient and eco-friendly in their production. Read more.

Peterborough, N.H. -- Eastern Mountain Sports announced plans to open three stores during the next three months.

The company is moving an existing location at the Plaza at Buckland Hills in Manchester, Conn., approximately 12 storefronts down into a new, 18,831-sq.-ft. site. It also is opening a 20,442-sq.-ft. store in South Portland, Maine, and a 13,013-sq.-ft, location in North Brunswick, N.J.

Target’s ability to replenish stores across a large swath of the central United States is poised to improve in the next two years as the company gains much needed new distribution capacity in Texas and Ohio.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN announced Monday it has acquired lifestyle brand Chasing Fireflies. Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.

The purchase, which was made through the multichannel retailer’s Cornerstone Brands segment, will accelerate HSN’s move into content-driven lifestyle businesses.

New York -- American Express Co. has become the first company to pull its gift cards from being sold in New Jersey drug stores, supermarkets and convenience stores in response to a controversial new revision in the state's unclaimed property law. (The only way New Jersey residents can now buy AmEx gift cards is directly from the company.)