Coupons/ Rebates/ Pricing

BENTON HARBOR, Mich. — KitchenAid is partnering with Abt Electronics in Glenview, Ill. to kick off Earth Week and encourage the responsible disposal of unwanted small electric kitchen appliances. From April 18 through May 16, Abt customers will receive an instant rebate toward the purchase of a new KitchenAid small appliance when they bring in any brand of small electric kitchen appliances to the store.  

New York -- Ron Johnson is out as CEO of J.C. Penney. In making the announcement, the company also said that that Myron E. (Mike) Ullman has rejoined Penney as CEO, effective immediately. Ullman, who served as CEO of Penney until late 2011, has also been elected to the board of directors.

Johnson’s departure was not all that unexpected given the chain’s mounting losses and sales declines. But it was still a stunning reversal of fortune for the former golden boy of Apple, who left the tech giant amid great fanfare for the top job at Penney.

By Brad LaRock, [email protected]

If the 2012 holiday retail season proved anything, it’s this: the smart merchant gets the sale. Retailers have to plan strategically, segment their customer base, and think like today’s super connected shopper.

First it was RadioSchack and now Target has ended another electronics initiative with Best Buy.

Target and Best Buy confirmed earlier this week that they agreed to end a partnership begun last August that involved Target offering Best Buy’s Geek Squad services at 29 stores in Minneapolis and Denver. Earlier this year, Target ended a more extensive relationship with RadioShack that involved

Boston -- Walmart Canada and Target Canada are very competitively positioned from a basket price perspective, according to a recent report by Kantar Retail.  

Based on the study’s results, Kantar Retail believes that Target’s “Pay Less” consumables prices will stack up well against its Canadian competition and that the retailer will prove to be a formidable challenge to Walmart Canada’s price position in the market.  

SAN FRANCISCO — The a good amount of Americans, particularly women, are using shopping to improve their moods, according to a new survey.

The study, by Ebates.com, found that 63.9% of women engage in "retail therapy," compared with 39.8% of men, and the belief that it improves moods was found among 39.2% of women, compared with 20.6% of men. The survey was conducted online by TNS Global and included 1,000 adults.

San Francisco -- More than half of Americans shop and spend money to improve their moods, according to a new survey.

The study, by Ebates.com, found that 63.9% of women engage in “retail therapy,” compared with 39.8% of men, and the belief that it improves moods was found among 39.2% of women, compared with 20.6% of men. The survey was conducted online by TNS Global and included 1,000 adults.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens reported Wednesday that sales for the month of March increased 2.3% to $6.2 billion.

Total front-end sales increased 5.4% compared with the same month in fiscal 2012, while same-store front-end sales increased 4.2%. Front-end sales will have benefited from a March 31 Easter — last year Easter sales fell in April. As a result Walgreens said it will report combined comps for March and April with its April sales results.