Retailer Campaigns

Wayne, N.J. – The time may have come to change the name of Black Friday to Black Thursday. According to multiple media reports, Toys ‘R’ Us will open stores at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving night.

Austin, Texas -- Starting in November, Whole Foods Market stores nationwide will host DIY craft tutorials, with local artists from Etsy’s seller community. Shoppers can also find exclusive step-by-step DIY projects from Etsy’s creative community in Whole Foods Market’s 2013 Holiday Guide, available in stores and online.

Canton, Mass. – Dunkin’ Donuts has signed a multi-unit store development agreement with three existing franchise groups to develop 12 new restaurants in Detroit during the next several years. Existing franchise group Coffee Ventures, LLC plans to develop seven restaurants in suburban Detroit between 2014 and 2017, while existing Detroit franchisees Tarun and Falguni Raval plan to develop one restaurant in Detroit in 2014 and existing Detroit franchisees Nick and Masoud Shango plan to develop four restaurants in Detroit between 2014 and 2016.

Duck Tape brand duct tape is joining forces with Fiskars Corp. to introduce a new line of scissors for crafting.

“Both Duck brand duct tape and Fiskars share a commitment to creating innovative products that help people express their creativity,” Fiskars VP brand marketing Jay Gillespie said. “This partnership is a perfect fit, and we’re looking forward to giving enthusiasts tools that make creating with Duck Tape easier than ever before.”

The scissors will be available at select retailers June 2014.

New York -- Starting in November, J. Crew consumers can take advantage of MasterPass at checkout, a digital wallet service enables shoppers to use any payment card or enabled device to unlock a simplified and speedier checkout experience whether they’re at home, in a store or on the go.

Sears and Kmart stores are joining the still growing list of retailers that will open Thanksgiving Day in the hopes of luring Black Friday shoppers early.

Kmart will open for 41 straight hours, starting at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving Day to 11 p.m. Black Friday. Sears will open doors starting at 8 p.m. Thanksgiving Day to 10 p.m. Black Friday, with more than 1,000 doorbusters available until 1 p.m. Friday afternoon.

Leading sales and marketing services provider Crossmark has enhanced its shopper marketing capabilities with the purchase of PromoWorks.

The transaction will result in Crossmark being the preferred product sampling and demonstration agency for 10 of the top 20 food retailers in North America and the exclusive event marketing planning agency for many of the top consumer brands, according to the company.

Newegg, a leading electronics-focused e-retailer in the U.S., has kicked off this year’s Black November shopping event. The online retailer first unveiled Black November in 2010.

The company will be offering exclusive deals on the first four days of Black November across 60 categories, including computers, electronics, automotive, sporting goods and jewelry.

Quincy, Mass. -- J.Jill is debuting a new store prototype in four locations across the country: Short Hills, N.J.; Huntington Station, N.Y.; King of Prussia, Pa.; and San Diego, Calif.

“The new approach to store design is based on our understanding of what is important to our customers,” said Paula Bennett, CEO and president, J.Jill. “We want to delight her with our beautiful, versatile collections and inspire her confidence with our guiding service. The new stores offer her a very warm welcome."

Naperville, Ill. – Count OfficeMax as the latest in a growing list of retailers opening its doors at 8 p.m. local time Thanksgiving night (as permitted by law). Online Black Friday discounts at OfficeMax.com start at 12:01 a.m. EST Thanksgiving morning.

The OfficeMax Black Friday shopping event will take place for three days from Thursday, Nov. 28 to Saturday, Nov. 30 in stores and at OfficeMax.com.