Events

Target has come up with some clever buzz-building brand activities over the years and a new initiative underway in Seattle is no exception.

WAYNE, N.J. — FAO Schwarz, in honor of its 150th anniversary, has unveiled a walk-around gallery dedicated to Steiff, one of the most renowned European brands, whose signature products have been offered at FAO Schwarz for more than 100 years. "A Gallery of Classic Steiff Collectibles," is displayed prominently throughout the famed flagship location in New York City. The museum quality exhibit will run through early September and can be viewed online at FAO.com.

Having past the calendar’s mid-point, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the most viewed stories of the year to date on Chainstoreage.com. (Based on the results, it’s clear that J.C. Penney is shaping up as THE story of 2012.) Here are the Top 10 stories of the first six months:

A partnership between New York designer Liz Lange and Target has contributed to a transformation of the maternity wear market over the past decade, according to Target’s hometown newspaper the Star Tribune.

A recent article on the partnership and its success quoted Lange and even got SVP Trish Adams to hold still for a photo shoot at a downtown Minneapolis store.

Philadelphia -- Destination Maternity said its third-quarter revenue fell 5.3% to $138.8 million. Wall Street had expected $146.4 million. The retailer cut its third-quarter earnings forecast, citing weaker-than-expected sales.

Same-store sales fell 2.4%.
 

Deerfield, Ill. — Walgreens on Tuesday extended its innovation in mobile technology with the introduction of a developer portal that allows third-party software developers to integrate the Walgreens QuickPrints software development kit, enabling photo printing directly from iPhone and Android mobile devices.

LOS ANGELES — Katie Bayne, president and general manager of sparkling beverages for Coca-Cole North America, has been elected to the American Film Institute's board of trustees.

Washington, D.C. -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 1.6% in July compared with the same month last year, and modest year-over-year increases are expected through the holiday season shipping cycle, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.