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Target is working its way across Canada beginning this week by hosting special events in 20 cities to build interest in the planned opening of 124 stores in 2013.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General announces its new mobile applications for iPhone and Android smartphones that include sales ads, store locations, coupons and more.

“Many of our shoppers use mobile phones for shopping and to make purchasing decisions,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s executive VP, division president and chief merchandising officer. “We’re making shopping at Dollar General simpler for our customers by making ads and information available at the touch of a button on their mobile phone.”

Washington, D.C. -- A survey released by Shop.org and conducted by BIGinsight found that 129.2 million shoppers say they’ll head to retailers’ websites on Cyber Monday, up from the 122.8 million who shopped last year, and the 106.9 million who shopped on Cyber Monday in 2010.
 
The majority (85%) of retailers will have a special promotion for Cyber Monday, according to a prior survey.

New York -- On Wednesday, Nov. 28, Chainstoreage.com will unveil an exclusive and revealing look at how shoppers felt — what turned them on and off — on two of the busiest and most critical retail days of the year: Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The Holiday Shopper Sentiment Report: Black Friday and Cyber Monday Consumer Face-Off by SAP will explore real-time trends and insights that will inform the next generation of retail.

Westlake Village, Calif. -- LLBean.com ranks highest among online apparel retailers with a score of 830 (on a 1,000-point scale), followed by LandsEnd.com (829) and Forever21.com (824), according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Online Apparel Retailer Satisfaction Report. The study finds that satisfaction with online apparel retailers is significantly lower among online shoppers between the ages of 18 and 24 than among those 55 years of age and older.

BANNOCKBURN, Ill. — Italian food company Barilla has partnered with the U.S. Ski Team's Mikaela Shiffrin, who will don the Barilla logo on her helmet.

The 17-year-old recently secured third place at the slalom in Levi, Finland, and is considered a serious contender for the World Cup Nov. 24, in Aspen, Colo., as well as the 2014 Olympic games to be held in Sochi, Russia.

NORWICH, N.Y. — Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya has won the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 Retail and Consumer Products Award. Ulukaya was also awarded the Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 Overall Award.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award encourages entrepreneurial activity and recognizes leaders and visionaries who demonstrate innovation, financial success and personal commitment as they create and build world-class businesses.

Forty participants in the annual OfficeMax ElfYourself campaign are due to join in next week’s McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago.

The elves will escort a candy train float along the parade route expected to be attended by 500,000 people and millions of television viewers. While on the parade route, the elves will distribute winter survival kits featuring cold-weather essentials such as lip balm, hand warmers and hot chocolate mix, and also invite spectators to enjoy OfficeMax's online and in-store deals this holiday season.

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar is positioning itself as a one-stop shop for families this holiday season.

The company plans to have in stock hundreds of toys and gifts priced at $10 or less at its more than 7,000 nationwide locations. The single price point strategy is designed to appeal to the large segment of shoppers hard-hit by the economy and who need stretch their holiday budgets.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Dick’s Sporting Goods has announced its first-ever "Get Winter Ready" consumer promotion.

Dick’s has teamed up with The North Face and Columbia Sportswear as part of the program's sweepstakes, and will be giving away two one-of-kind prize packages. One includes a chance to join professional skier Tom Wallisch at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., and the other offers a VIP experience at the 2013 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup in Park City, Utah.