Events

MINNEAPOLIS — Target announced that this fall it is investing more than $50 million in education. The donation will fund programs such as Target School Library Makeovers, Take Charge of Education and a series of education grants and awards that will provide the resources needed to help students and teachers excel, the company reported.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — OfficeMax announced the fifth anniversary of its A Day Made Better program to support teachers. Through the program, OfficeMax will surprise 1,000 teachers on Oct. 4 with $1,000 each worth of school supplies. 

Widespread reports surrounding the launch of the Missoni for Target brand last week had surging demand causing the company’s website to crash and stores disappointing customers because they prematurely ran out of merchandise. The unexpected run on Missoni even prompted the company to take the unusual step of issuing a public statement.

The Promenade Shops at Centerra and the City of Loveland, Colo., are gearing up for a single September evening event that combines local artists, musicians and a one-night-only VIP shopping experience. 

The Art of Fashion takes over The Promenade Shops at Centerra on Sept. 22 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and offers one-night-only shopping discounts, complimentary drinks, hors d’oeuvres, in-store events, door prizes, chair massages, makeovers, demonstrations and more.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart announced that it is launching the Latina Smart Fund in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Promoted through Kmart's Latina Smart Facebook page, the Latina Smart Fund will award $25,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors and/or students currently enrolled in college, technical or trade schools.   

Bellevue, NY -- In a survey released Wednesday by thrift retailer Savers Inc., the average family is expected to spend $300 on Halloween costumes, décor and celebrations this year.

According to the Halloween Shopping Survey, 90% of adults are planning to create a brand new look this season rather than repurpose old costumes, and another 81% will purchase new decorations for their home. 

Portland, Ore. -- Daily deal site LivingSocial said Tuesday that it has reached new records with its first nationwide grocery deal, implemented with Whole Foods Market.

The debut deal offered shoppers $20 worth of products at Whole Foods for $10.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. said Tuesday that its entire website crashed due to unusually high demand for its just-released Missoni for Target collection. Various newspapers reported that the collection was flying off the shelves of stores, and that some stores were sold out within minutes.

The hotly anticipated Missoni line features some 400 items, ranging from housewares to apparel. It is Target’s largest, limited-time designer collection to date.

Uniqlo is popping-up all over Manhattan. As the prelude to the opening of its Fifth Avenue global flagship in October, the Japanese apparel retailer opened four temporary “Brand Shops” around the city. Each location is cleverly designed and smartly outfitted.

Some priceless publicity to cement Target’s image as the cool place to shop came courtesy of The New York Times this week. The newspaper reported on and featured a video on its website of the retailer’s back-to-college efforts, which included chartering busses to ferry thousands of kids to its stores at 66 campuses nationwide.