Cross-Merchandising

Purchase, N.Y. — KicksUSA, a regional retailer offering athletic footwear and family apparel, has opened a 4,600-sq.-ft. store at CooperTowne Center in Somerdale, N.J., according to National Realty & Development Corp., the owner of the center.

Wal-Mart Supercenter, Cinemark Theatres and LA Fitness anchor CooperTowne Center.

Austin, Texas — CBRE has announced three more Austin-area locations for local fast casual restaurant VERTS, bringing its store count to 10. In 2014, VERTS plans to open 13 new locations, including expansions into Dallas and Houston.

The newest locations are in North Austin. Locations in Round Rock and Cedar Park will open in the next two months.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc. has opened two new Sears Hometown Stores. The stores are located in Longmont, Colo. and Wenatchee, Wash., and will celebrate their official grand openings Feb. 28-March 1.

The stores were the 15th and 16th Sears Hometown Stores to open in 2013. If a product is not available in-stores, Sears Hometown Store associates can order customers any product from the entire merchandise selection offered by Sears.

San Francisco -- Banana Republic is releasing an omni-channel spring 2014 marketing campaign called “True Outfitters” in March 2014. Styled by Jessica Diehl and shot by Mikael Jansson, the campaign was developed with Laird+Partners, Banana Republic's advertising agency.

The campaign will appear in March and April publications, supplemented by outdoor, online and direct mail. Digital portions include a dedicated website and a special YouTube event on March 2.

Target has been ramping up digital efforts for a few years now, but its Digital Vendor Marketing (DVM) team is putting the retailer on the mobile games map.

Target sees mobile games as an opportunity to directly reach customers and showcase the brands and vendors on its store shelves.

“We’re really focused on creating great games for guests that are simple, yet challenging enough to make you want to play again and again,” says Dawn Block, who oversees the DVM team as a VP of Target.com and mobile.

Toronto - Loblaw Companies Ltd. and its affiliates, the owners of Joe Fresh, have signed three separate partnership agreements that bring the brand into 23 new countries. The agreements cover markets in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and South Korea.

New York -- Traditional retail categories are increasingly blurring, and more and more shoppers are turning to drug stores and other types of outlets to buy groceries, according to a survey of Millenial, Gen X and Baby Boomer consumers. The study was conducted by retail design firm King Retail Solutions in conjunction with the University of Arizona Center for Retailing.

Budweiser revealed the brand's global campaign on behalf of its official sponsorship of the upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Budweiser's Rise as One will celebrate the moments that bring together and inspire fans of the game around the world, the company said.

The Hertz Corp. and Costco in the U.K. have teamed up to bring short-term Hertz 24/7 van rental to Costco's members.

The self-drive service operates at all 25 Costco warehouses in the U.K. Costco's members can hire a van from the warehouse car parks to drive their purchased items home immediately.

With tax refunds arriving in mail boxes soon, the 6,500 unit GameStop chain is looking to capture its share of the windfall with a promotion involving gaming giveaways and a new car.