Cross-Merchandising

Retailers are poised to benefit from the June 14 release of The Man of Steel and the extensive licensing activity connected to the latest Superman reboot. Warner Bros. Consumer Products has launched a broad, multi-category licensing program with a variety of global licensees to support the highly anticipated film.

PURCHASE, N.Y. — PepsiCo has chosen three schools as the grand prize winners of the 2012-13 PepsiCo Dream Machine Recycle Rally, a national recycling program and contest designed to encourage students to recycle every day.  

Toy collecting is definitely not just for the small fry at Kidrobot, which has evolved from a cool toy store for kids and adults alike in New York City’s hip SoHo into a multimillion dollar retail and wholesale company.

Little Rock, Ark. – By focusing on its brand story and collaborative boards, Southern lifestyle retailer Bourbon & Boots has dramatically increased cross-channel traffic through its presence on the Pinterest social network.

Founder Matt Price described how Bourbon & Boots has maximized the value of its Pinterest activities during a session at last week’s Internet Retailer conference in Chicago.

Hordes of spend-happy young Mexican shoppers are successfully attracting specialty apparel retailers from the U.S. and Europe – and, as mentioned in a recent report by Wall Street Journal, Walmart is feeling the pain.

Lowe’s is leveraging the popularity of Disney animated films "Monsters University" and "Toy Story" for its nationwide movie-themed Build and Grow clinics for kids.

The special hour-long clinics, recommended for children in grades two through five, will take place on select Saturdays at 10 a.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. throughout the summer and are free, the company announced.

Fitness and lifestyle brand Athleta is sponsoring this year's Esprit de She 5K and 10K races, designed exclusively for women, to be held Thursday, June 27, at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., just 15 minutes from downtown Raleigh.

Athleta's mission to "celebrate and inspire women athletes of all levels" while outfitting them with apparel geared toward athletic pursuits that include yoga, Pilates, running, swimming and biking, is in line with the Esprit de She event.

WESTKLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — Dole is on a 4,800-mile banana truck tour in an attempt to get Americans to eat more fruits and veggies, namely bananas. Company representatives will travel for a total of 102 days in a pink-and-turquoise truck during the Peel the Love Summer Food Truck Tour.

Brookfield, Wis. -- A joint real estate fund formed by Innovative Capital Advisors and HSA Commercial Real Estate recently purchased the 92,000-sq.-ft. Plaza 173 power center in Brookfield, Wis., in a competitive auction.

Tenants include Dunham’s Sports, Men’s Wearhouse, Famous Footwear and Kessler Jewelers.

Boston -- A new study from Kantar Retail and TNS revealed that shoppers prefer The Home Depot over Canadian Tire, Rona and other DIY retailers when shopping for home improvement items and do-it-yourself projects.  

In the April 2013 survey, Canadian shoppers rated top DIY competitors on a variety of attributes, including assortment, price, service, and community appeals.