Displays & Signs

By Steve Friedman, [email protected]

If you’re like me and watch more TV than you should, you’ve probably seen the unusual new Target commercials with the hot air balloon. These “Color Changes Everything” spots feature a troupe of lively individuals landing in a hot air balloon (which, when seen from above, sports a gigantic version of the distinctive Target bullseye logo) and cavorting through an urban setting in acrobatic fashion, magically transforming the clothing, accessories and household goods of the people they encounter into stuff that is brighter, hipper and generally cooler and more fun.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — Bi-Lo noted last week that three of its locations along the South Carolina coastline had been refreshed in March.

“Bi-Lo believes in offering our customers the highest possible standards and this remodel program speaks directly to that,” stated Bi-Lo president Michael Byars.

The enhanced departments in the updated stores feature improved freshness, variety and quality, including:

New York -- Many apparel retailers and department stores registered solid gains in March, as an early spring brought out shoppers looking for seasonal merchandise earlier than they typically would. Last month was the warmest March in North America in more than 50 years, according to weather data provider Planalytics.

Macy’s, Kohl’s Corp., Limited Brands and Gap Inc. were among the retailers who topped analyst estimates.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has bolstered its Easter assortment, offering a number of popular holiday items at competitive price points. For example, the retailer is offering a five-pack of Cadbury Eggs for $2.78, Marshmallow Peeps for $1 each and Starburst Jellybeans for $1.88.

To build their Easter baskets, Walmart is offering customers green Easter grass for 28 cents, plastic Easter Eggs (10 ct.) for 50 cents and Easter buckets/baskets for 97 cents each. 

Loblaw Companies Limited has transformed the famed Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto — an iconic Canadian landmark and former home of one of the most famous hockey arenas in North America — into the ultimate upscale supermarket destination. Massive in scope and ambition, the 85,000-sq.-ft. store more than lives up to its billing as “Toronto’s new crown jewel of food stores.”

NEW YORK — Francisco Costa, who serves as women's creative director for Calvin Klein Collection will design a limited edition capsule dress line exclusively for Macy's.

According to Macy's, this is the first time Costa has designed a more affordable dress offering for a national retailer.

NEW YORK — Whole Foods Market is leading charge to promote the sale of sustainable seafood by becoming the first national grocer to stop selling red-rated seafood. The company announced that, beginning this Earth Day (April 22), it will no longer carry red-rated, wild-caught fish in its seafood departments. 

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Parents of "Alvin and the Chipmunks" fans may soon be heading to Walmart to snatch up items from the retailer's exclusive children's line from Fox Consumer Products. The launch of the collection coincided with the Blu-ray and DVD release of "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" in Walmart stores on March 27.

Opening day for Major League Baseball is April 5, and Target was on its promotional game this past weekend featuring assortments of MLB licensed products in its weekly ad.