Corporate Governance

Ridgefield, Conn. -- Gap tapped Schimenti Construction to build the company’s flagship Athleta location in New York City.

The 3,922-sq.-ft. store, which features performance apparel and gear for the active woman, is in a landmark building on Columbus Avenue, in Manhattan. The space was completed in 13 weeks from start to opening.

New York City -- Macy’s announced that its namesake stores across the country will open at midnight on Nov. 25, the midnight of Thanksgiving night, to kick off the 2011 holiday shopping season. It is the first time that Macy’s has opened its doors chainwide at midnight. The company’s Bloomingdale’s unit will open its doors on Black Friday at 8 a.m.

Last year, Macy's opened eight stores at midnight. The rest of the stores opened at 4 a.m.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot announced that it has released its third annual Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB) catalog, which highlights select HUB suppliers and an assortment of more than 1,600 items ranging from safety and medical supplies to staplers and technology products.

The HUB catalog features Office Depot’s complete assortment of products sold by HUB vendors and is available to Office Depot’s Business Solutions Division (BSD) customers.

AUSTIN — Whole Foods is supporting Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign with several promotions:

• Whole Foods will match donations up to $25,000 of funds donated online, WholeFoodsMarket.com/holidays, to the cause;

• When shoppers purchase gift cards from Nov. 16 through Dec. 31, Whole Foods will donate $1 for every card purchased to No Kid Hungry;

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys"R"Us holiday plans mix technology, QR codes and retro ads that speak to the company’s heritage.

As part of its 2011 holiday advertising campaign, the chain will air a series of themed television commercials designed to showcase the company's toy expertise and its strengths as a specialty retailer. The commercials include two ads from its archives which celebrate the heritage of the brand. Another group of ads feature products exclusive to Toys“R”Us.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Heineken USA has appointed a new senior director of regional marketing.

In his new role, Darrell Johnson will work with brand marketing, trade marketing activation and the regional marketing directors to develop a strategy and process for local programming that ensures consistent execution against national brand strategy at the local level, the company said.

Johnson will report to Heineken VP trade marketing and sales strategy Kheri Tillman.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target is getting an early jump on Black Friday this year, announcing that it will open its stores at midnight on Nov. 25. 

“The holidays bring hectic schedules and tight budgets, so extending store hours and offering lots of additional ways to save makes Target a great choice for affordable, one-stop holiday shopping,” said Tina Schiel, EVP stores for Target.

New York City -- A report released Friday by Thomson Reuters and the University of Michigan found that consumer confidence in the United States rose unexpectedly in October, a signal that an economic recovery process may still be intact.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment climbed to 60.9 from 59.4 in September, beating Bloomberg News economists’ projections of a drop to 58.

The preliminary reading for the month was 57.5.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. said Friday that it will open its stores across the country at midnight on Thanksgiving for the first time in the retailer’s history.

Stores opened at 4 a.m. on Black Friday last year.

Target, which said its move was in response to customer demand, said its stores will stay open for 23 hours and close at 11 p.m. Friday, Nov. 25.

Last year, most Walmart stores opened by midnight on Thanksgiving.
 

Newark, N.J. -- A report released Friday by the Journal of Commerce/PIERS showed that U.S. toy imports dropped 9% year-over-year in September, as the country's retailers apparently chose caution heading into the 2011 holiday season.

The drop in container volume, most of it from China, was the eighth straight for toys coming into the United States and a strong sign that the nation's stores are concerned with figures showing waning consumer confidence and opting to keep inventories lean rather than face deep-discount sales.