Events

Goodwill Industries of Arkansas received a $350,000 grant this week thanks to the Walmart Foundation and the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G.

Goodwill is the primary charitable beneficiary of this year’s Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, which got underway this week amid triple digit temperatures at the Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers, Ark. The funds the organization received will be used to support a program called Providing Opportunities for Women through Education and Resources (POWER).

New York -- Canadian retailer Aritzia will open its largest store to date, a 13,000-sq.-ft. flagship on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

The apparel retailer is taking over a space previously occupied by Esprit. The location is in a building that is part of Rockfeller Center.

NEW YORK — Macy's is offering Katy Perry fans the chance to see her movie, "Katy Perry: Part of Me," for free just for shopping in its stores. On Saturday, June 30, at more than 650 Macy’s locations nationwide, with any purchase of $50 or more in the Macy’s MSTYLELAB departments customers will receive one ticket to the film.

New York -- Confirming the rumors that have swirled for the last few days, Seattle-based Nordstrom said Thursday that it has found a site for its full full-line department store in New York City.

The 285,000-sq.-ft. flagship will open along the 57th Street corridor at 225 West 57th – between Broadway and Seventh Avenue – at a site owned by Extell Development Co.

The store is expected to open in 2018.
 

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has donated $30,000 in monetary support and product to assist with Colorado wildfire relief efforts. A $17,500 cash donation was distributed among several American Red Cross chapters in Colorado in addition to $5,000 in product donations for essentials such as water and food. A separate donation of $7,500 in gift cards was given to other nonprofit organizations in the affected areas.

Abilene, Kan. -- Duckwall-Alco said Thursday it is officially changing its name to Alco Stores, Inc. An amendment at Wednesday’s annual shareholder meeting was approved. The company’s ticker symbol on NASDAQ is now “ALCS.”

The 111-year-old chain has 216 locations in 23 states, mostly in small-town environments. Plans are on tap to open five new stores in fiscal 2013 and eight underperforming stores are slated to be closed.

Launching new products is difficult in the best of times, but winners of the 2012 Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation Award found ways to succeed during one the worst recessions in a generation.

Nielsen announced recipients of the awards at its annual Consumer 360 event in Hollywood, Fla., this week after analyzing more than 11,000 new products in the United States between 2008 and 2010. Of the products evaluated, only 34 met award criteria. These products comprise less than 0.5% of all new product introductions during the period.

Woodbridge, Va. -- Island-inspired restaurateur Bahama Breeze will make its Virginia debut with a freestanding location at Potomac Mills, the largest outlet and value retail shopping destination in Virginia.

The new location will be adjacent to The Cheesecake Factory and a first-in-market Bobby’s Burger Palace opening this November in a new plaza to be developed on the south side of Potomac Mills.