Cross-Merchandising

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Winn-Dixie Stores announced that it is offering special bundles for tailgate, school or office parties, and for trick-or-treating to help customers get ready for Halloween. The grocer said it also is holding special pumpkin-decorating workshops for children this Saturday and Sunday afternoons at select stores. Any child visiting a Winn-Dixie store while wearing a Halloween costume on Saturday, Sunday or Monday will receive a fresh-baked cookie from the Winn-Dixie bakery.

New York City -- Macy’s has launched a new online destination, called mBLOG, for fashion, beauty, home and lifestyle news and trends at macys.com/mblog.

Each day of the week is dedicated to a specific topic, and embedded e-commerce enables readers to purchase featured merchandise directly from macys.com.

One thing retailers learn, some of them the hard way, is to take no competitor lightly. Consider the case of Dollar General and a toy promotion it is running for the holidays.

SONOMA, Calif. — Banana Republic and Clos Du Bois Winery announced that they have teamed up for a line of limited-edition wine bottles adorned with festive labels designed by Banana Republic creative director Simon Kneen. The wine bottles, available in Nort Coast Chardonnay and North Coast Cabernet Sauvignon varietals, are priced under $20 and will feature Kneen's hand-sketched labels.

NEW YORK — eBay announced that it has joined with designer Jonathan Adler to open The eBay Inspiration Shop, a 24/7 shoppable storefront in New York City showcasing a collection of new, must-have merchandise for the fall season. What makes the store unique, according to eBay is that customers can shop for the featured items using their smartphone.

Crossmark and FLW Outdoors announced a new joint venture called Out Front Marketing and have already signed on Walmart as a client to use the firm’s “Mobile Brand Boxes” to promote Walmart’s USDA Premium Beef program.

Walmart’s deeper affiliation with NASCAR continued this week as the good old boys headed to Alabama’s Talladega super speedway for the Good Sam Club 500 where race fans were provided the opportunity to participate in Race Time at Walmart activities.

New York City -- Barnes & Noble said Thursday it has expanded its BN.com Marketplace, adding over one million new products to the catalog.

The retailer also announced online third-party partnerships with Wayfair.com, Right Start, UnbeatableSale.com, School Specialty, Abe’s of Maine, Delivery Agent and more.

BN.com Marketplace has introduced five new categories including Home and Gift, Consumer Electronics, Arts and Crafts, Toys and Games and Baby.