Events

Washington, D.C. — A report released Thursday by the National Retail Federation, which expanded on earlier news by the U.S. Commerce Department, showed that warm weather, reduced gas prices and strong Father’s Day promotions helped power retail sales for the 12th consecutive month and past Wall Street expectations.

According to the NRF, retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) in June increased 0.3% seasonally adjusted from May and 5.5% unadjusted year-over-year.

Addison, Texas — Coyote Management, L.P. said that Jennifer Hillard will join Coyote Management starting July 18 as the new marketing director at the1.2-million-sq.-ft. Chapel Hills Mall, located in Colorado Springs, Colo. 

Hillard was previously field communications manager/field trafficking manager at General Growth Properties, Chicago.     

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Whirlpool Corp. announced that it was inducted into the Made in the USA Foundation's Hall of Fame at an awards dinner on July 2 in Santa Monica, Calif. Whirlpool was the winner of the Large Kitchen Appliances Category.

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — Whirlpool Corp. announced that it was inducted into the Made in the USA Foundation's Hall of Fame at an awards dinner on July 2 in Santa Monica, Calif.  Whirlpool was the winner of the Large Kitchen Appliances Category.

WASHINGTON — Warm weather, lower gas costs and strong Father's Day promotions apparently put consumers in a spending mood in June, boosting retail sales for the 12th consecutive month and surpassing many analysts' expectations, according to the National Retail Federation.

Retail industry sales — which exclude automobiles, gas stations and restaurants — in June increased 0.3% seasonally adjusted from May, and 5.5% unadjusted year-over-year, according to NRF.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Members of the Retail Industry Leaders Association on Wednesday arrived in Joplin, Mo., to help clean up the Midwest city that was hard-hit in May by a category F-5 tornado.

New York — Najafi Cos., the private equity firm that tentatively agreed to purchase bankrupt Borders Group, is is reportedly no longer interested in Borders unless its conditions are met, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Najafi, which owns the Book of the Month Club, said in a statement that financial advisors “have elected another option which is in contrast to what he had envisioned for the future of Borders.”

MINNEAPOLIS — Target announced that it will once again offer its "Back in Black Friday" online-only sale on July 15. The sale will start around midnight (PST) and end at 11:59 p.m. at Target.com/BlackFriday.

“Target is always looking at ways to provide our guests with outstanding value,” said Steve Eastman, president of Target.com. “Our Back in Black Friday online-only sale is a great example – offering our guests a summer Black Friday with thousands of deals on their favorite products.”

WASHINGTON— The National Retail Federation has joined the National Restaurant Association in support of legislation that would require federal agencies to consider the impact on small businesses when establishing rules and regulations.

“This legislation would strengthen the protections for small businesses in the often-asphyxiating federal regulatory process,” the two organizations said in a letter to House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., and Ranking Member Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y.

New York City -- In an address Wednesday at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference in Los Angeles, COO Kevin Turner said that Microsoft hopes to open 75 freestanding Microsoft stores within the next two to three years.

“We’re going to open up to 75 more stores over the next two to three years, and continue to bring our stores outside the U.S. as well, so we’ve got a huge opportunity to get the Microsoft story out there, and we’re going to keep driving that,” Turner said.