Events

Pedigree and the Broadway musical "Annie" worked together to promote awareness of dog adoption, and the partnership resulted in a $1 million donation to Pedigree Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to helping dogs find loving homes. A check was presented to the foundation after the matinee performance on Nov. 20.

Since its debut in 1977, "Annie" has featured a real-life shelter dog as Annie's companion Sandy, making the partnership between Pedigree brand and the Tony Award-winning musical even more special.

Framingham, Mass. -- TJX Cos. is launching its first-ever holiday gift hotline for its TJ Maxx and Marshall stores.

The hotline will be available to shoppers from Tuesday, Dec. 3 through Friday, Dec. 6, and will be staffed by nationally renowned style and gifting experts.

The hotline will be staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Duracell plans to donate up to 1 million batteries to Toys for Tots as part of its Power a Smile program, marking the brand's largest donation to the organization to date.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. — Mid-America Real Estate Group has named Emily Dutson as the firm’s first in-house marketing associate.

Beginning on Dec. 1, she will oversee all channels of marketing and public relations for each of Mid-America’s locations in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee and Minneapolis. She will provide all online, social media, website and print content as well as promotional initiatives and media communications.

San Bruno, Calif. – Wal-Mart is providing a number of special holiday deals to online and mobile shoppers as part of an early Cyber Monday promotion that begins Saturday, Nov. 30. In addition, Walmart's mobile app customers, Facebook fans and email subscribers will be among the first to receive invitations to an early shopping event on Sunday, Dec. 1, featuring up to 20 of the best Cyber Monday items while supplies last, before they are widely available.

Hampstead, Md. – Jos. A. Bank is attempting to get a jump on the many retailers starting their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving by offering a “Super Tuesday” sale event on Tuesday, Nov. 26. The retailer will offer Black Friday prices on select “doorbuster” items in its 571 company-owned full-line stores nationwide.

In addition, these select doorbuster items will be offered online at Josbank.com beginning at 12:01 a.m. (EST) on November 26, 2013, and there will be other special one-day price discounts.

Amazon.com is going to start offering Black Friday deals a day earlier than last year, beginning Sunday, Nov. 24, as often as every 10 minutes.

“We are heading into the busiest and most fun time of the year for Amazon, with an astonishing number of deals for customers,” said Craig Berman, VP, Amazon Global Communications.

Consumers will be able to pick from an assortment of electronics, toys, books, movies and tools and will be also able to shop via the mobile shopping app.

When the new Nordstrom Rack opened at Mercato in Naples, Fla., in early November, 500 people somehow got into the store within the first five minutes. No kidding.

Nordstrom Rack replaced Books-A-Million in a 30,000 sq. ft. space in the center, joining several other new tenants including The Wine Loft, The Counter, MASA, Kelly Chase Couture and Mark Loren Designs, Le Macaron, Salon Zen AVEDA, Second Cup and TAPS Bar & Lounge.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a national observance that runs annually from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15. President Ronald Reagan extended the observance from a week to a month in 1998.

The Macerich Company embraced Hispanic Heritage Month this year as a way of recognizing its large Hispanic customer base. Thirty-one Macerich properties hosted special events celebrating the richness of Latin culture throughout Hispanic Heritage Month.

By Ali Lipson, senior retail and apparel analyst, Mintel