Marketing Tactics

The newest tactic to disparage Walmart by an organization called the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart) involves race, politics and a convoluted connection to the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Eight-year Walmart employee and OUR Walmart member Charmaine Givens-Thomas has posted a petition on the organization’s website invoking the name of the slain civil rights leader. She is seeking 100,000 signatures and a meeting with president Barack Obama to address the injustices to which she contends Walmart subjects its workers.

New York -- Office Depot and OfficeMax announced the completion of their merger late Tuesday and from the looks of third quarter results released the same day the deal should prove beneficial to both companies.

Office Depot said its third quarter same store sales declined 2%, while OfficeMax said its comps dropped 2.8% in the U.S. and 2.2% in Mexico.

The combined company will use the name Office Depot, Inc. and will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ODP.

Greenwood Village, Colo. — Red Robin Gourmet Burgers has announced that it will open two new restaurants, one in Secaucus, N.J., and another in the Cincinnati metro area. To help celebrate the grand opening of the new restaurants, the company will donate the proceeds of all sales of its signature Freckled Lemonade during the two restaurants’ first week of operation to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding cures for kids with cancer.

San Jose, Calif. — Togo’s Eateries has announced signed development agreements with new and existing franchisees to open nine new restaurants in markets across California. The company will open two restaurants in downtown Los Angeles, two in midtown and downtown Sacramento, and single units in San Jose, Santa Cruz, Riverbank, El Centro and Petaluma.

By Christian Davies, [email protected]

Meet the most complex shopper of all time – Generation Z. By 2020, today’s 14-19 year olds (Gen Z) will be the largest group of consumers worldwide, making up 40% of the U.S., Europe and the BRIC countries, and 10% in the rest of the world. The needs and behaviors of this group will influence the future of mainstream retail.

Westborough, Mass. -- BJ's Wholesale Club is spreading its Black Friday deals across an entire week (Sunday, Nov. 24 through Sunday, Dec. 1), excluding Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 28. The retailer says it is offering more than twice as many Black Friday deals this year as it did last year.

Irving, Texas – Michaels is offering a free, interactive “Just Add Wishes” DIY site to help consumers with holiday needs. From Nov. 11 through Dec. 24, kids can interact with a live elf through streaming video.

Brooklyn, NY. -- Home furnishings retailer West Elm will open a new store in Huntington Station, N.Y. at the Walt Whitman Shops on Nov. 7. The 9,948-sq.-ft. store is the brand’s first location on Long Island.

“We are excited to continue to grow the West Elm brand with new locations around the world,” said Jim Brett, president of West Elm. “The Walt Whitman store will be a creative, community-driven space with products and services designed to help customers discover their personal style at home.”

Framingham, Mass. – Holiday shoppers are seeking omni-channel solutions. According to a new national survey from Staples, two-thirds of consumers say they are equally as likely to purchase gifts online as they are to shop in-store.

The Staples study also reveals that 87% of gift shoppers admit they’ve had problems buying presents during the holiday season and 63% of gift givers report that nearly half of the people on their list are difficult to buy for, causing stress and frustration.

Other findings include:

New York -- Chain Store Age invites retailers, design firms, architects and suppliers to submit entries for its 32nd annual Retail Store of the Year design competition. Deadline for submission is December 23, 2013. There is a reduced entry rate for submissions received by Nov. 29.

The competition is open to stores and restaurants that opened between November 30, 2012 and December 6, 2013.