Entertainment Tie-ins / Licensing

The new Star Wars film awoke a promotional force of epic proportions over the weekend, but now retailers are faced with daunting task of driving sales of merchandise tied to a movie that won’t hit theaters for more than three months.

More than 3,000 retail locations in the U.S. opened at midnight on Friday to unveil aisles of new merchandise tied to the upcoming “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” film, according to Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media.

New York -- Disney unleashed its considerable marketing prowess on Friday and retailers were hoping the company’s “force” would translate into big sales.

On Friday, the entertainment giant formally debuted hundreds of toys and other products related to its upcoming — and hugely anticipated — film, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”  

From American Idol winner a decade ago to one of the biggest names in entertainment, Carrie Underwood will add extra star power to the 14th annual Belk Bowl football game slated for December 30.

Photo: The Cordish Companies and the City of Norfolk (Virginia) broke ground recently on Waterside District, a redevelopment of the waterfront.

Staples is injecting more starpower into its latest promotion aimed at supporting education.

The retailer is building on its decades-long support of teachers, students and education by funding 176 local classroom projects in New York City, as part of its recent $10 million pledge to Think It Up, a new national initiative of the Entertainment Industry Foundation that seeks to inaugurate a new movement in support of students, teachers and schools, helping to create a culture of excitement about learning everywhere in America.

Washington, D.C. -- Edens announced that Mike Isabella, of Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” fame, will open his Kapnos Kouzina restaurant concept at Mosaic, Edens’ mixed-use development located in Fairfax County, Virginia. The restaurant is slated to open in early 2016.

Online retailer ThinkGeek is teaming up with GameStop on a new concept retail store focused entirely on collectibles.

The first store will open in the Florida Mall in Orlando on Sept. 25.

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop continues the transformation of its store experience — and business.

The specialty retailer on Tuesday debuted its updated store design at Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota. Part of a company-wide brand refresh, the reformatted location was developed to increase productivity and optimize space while updating the brand’s overall brand look. New elements include:

• Sophisticated new logo, store set-up and color palette;