Strategy

Between announcing its first international acquisition and disclosing details of its U.S. expansion program, the Target board found time to squeeze in authorization of a quarterly dividend payment. The company’s dividend is currently 25 cents a share and is payable on March 10 to shareholders of record on Feb. 16. The first quarter dividend will be the company’s 174th consecutive dividend paid since October 1967 when the company became publicly held.

Savannah, Ga. -- Centro Properties Group said that Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt has opened a 1,215-sq.-ft. store at Eisenhower Square.

The shopping center, located in Savannah, Ga., is owned by New York City-based Centro Properties Group.

Columbia, S.C. -- Edens & Avant said Tuesday it has promoted Jami Passer to managing director. Prior to joining Edens & Avant in 2006, Passer was a partner and consultant with P3 Partners, a South Florida real estate advisory firm as well as being a managing director in the Real Estate Capital Markets Group of Andersen Corporate Finance LLC.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Target announced that Tony Fisher has been named president of Target Canada.  In this position, Fisher will be responsible for building the team, establishing the headquarters and leading the day-to-day operations of the corporation's recently announced expansion into Canada, the company reported.

Chicago -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced Tuesday that it has launched a website to deliver strategies, tools and information regarding the upcoming changes in lease accounting treatment by the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and its counterpart, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- Office Depot announced that will once again provide customers with free copies, up to 25 single-sided pages, of 2010 tax returns.

Through April 15, 2011, customers will be able to participate in this special offer by visiting the Copy and Print Depot in any one of the more than 1,100 Office Depot retail store locations nationwide.

New York City -- Consumer spending will rise 3% this year, according to retail analysts at S&P Equity Research. While the majority of publicly traded retailers were able to capture share in 2010 from smaller competitors or those that were forced to declare bankruptcy, and also increase profit margins, the S&P retail analysts see 2011 as another good year.

By George F. Brown, Jr., [email protected]

The increased pace of merger and acquisition activity late in 2010, including some huge deals, suggests that 2011 will be an active year. Low interest rates, significant cash on many firms’ balance sheets, and stock prices that are low enough to attract buyers but high enough to move sellers off the sidelines all reinforce that possibility.