Coupons/ Rebates/ Pricing

BrandZ has released its list of the most valuable retail brands, and Target came in at number 5 out of 20 companies listed. According to the report, Target earned its spot by expanding its food selection and repositioning itself as a low-price leader and thereby countering the perception of it being a trendier, albeit pricier store than its competitors.

Out of the 100 global brands (including both retail and non-retail companies), Target came in at number 65.

Chicago -- In its most recent consumer sentiment and behavior survey, Technomic, the Chicago-based food industry research firm, found that 84% of consumers believe that grocery prices have risen in the past three months and 62% believe restaurant prices have risen.

Bob Goldin, executive VP of Technomic, believes that the rapid rise in gas prices, now at record highs, has raised consumer sensitivity to price increases in grocery stores and restaurants.

Shoppers looking to buy an e-reader for mom this week had an interesting choice to make. They could pay $149 for a Nook at Walmart or go to Target or Best Buy and pick up a Kindle for $114. Target and Best Buy offered the Wi-Fi-enabled Kindle version capable of holding up to 3,500 books, and Target even featured the device on the cover of its weekly ad with a large photo. Walmart opted for a similar strategy and featured the Wi-Fi-enabled Nook capable of holding 1,500 books for $149 on the cover of its circular.

The most recent pricing survey from the equity research team at Credit Suisse shows that Walmart is either 3.1% cheaper than Target or 1.9% more expensive. The firm compared prices at stores in the Dallas and Chicago markets, as it does every month, and during March discovered the gap between the two competitors narrowed considerably.

“Target’s price gap with Walmart tightened from 4.2% in February to 3.1%,” according to the firm. “Target’s basket price decreased sequentially by 0.8% compared with Walmart’s 0.3% increase.”

Sam's Club this week is promoting itself as a small business leader and has announced several initiatives in honor of National Small Business Week May 16 to 20. The company said it would donate up to $200,000 to organizations supporting entrepreneurs. In addition the company is offering a limited-time, lower-cost membership deal for small business owners.

HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — Mars Chocolate North America has boosted its Dove and 3 Musketeers brands, the company announced.

Mars Chocolate recently sweetened up the ice cream aisle with new DoveBar peanut butter swirl ice cream with milk chocolate. The ice cream bar, which now is available in stores, retails for $4.09 per three-pack.

SEATTLE -- Amazon.com continues to grow beyond its origins as an online bookstore and is now expanding its apparel offerings with the launch of a new membership-only website, Myhabit.com.

According to the company, the website, of which member ship is free, will offer up to 60% off hand-picked styles from the most sought after brands. Other features of the site include free shipping and returns, upscale photography and 360-degree views of the clothing on live models.

El Segundo, Calif. -- Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp.’s first-quarter net income fell 54% and missed analysts' expectations because of increased expenses as customer traffic declined.

The company also gave a second-quarter earnings outlook much lower than Wall Street's view.

Big 5 reported late Tuesday that it earned $2.8 million for the period ended April 3, down from $5 million a year ago.

LOS ANGELES -- Ralphs announced that it is continuing its partnership begun last year with Shell to offer participating customers more rewards at the pump. According to the company, Southern Calif.-area customers will now earn double points on qualifying purchases at Ralphs when they buy fuel at participating Shell locations.    

The 5% REDcard Rewards program Target launched last fall has contributed to sales results and served as a game changer on the pricing front with Walmart. Savvy shoppers are increasingly realizing the additional 5% savings they receive by using their REDcard can result in the price of a basket of food and consumables at Target slipping below the price of a comparable basket at Walmart.