Marketing Tactics

LA CANADA, Calif. — Santa Claus is coming to Sport Chalet, a sporting goods retailer, to take photos with everyone, young and old, under water.

No experience is necessary for fans to pose with Santa, who will be at the store from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, December 15. Sport Chalet dive experts will be on hand to assist Santa fans, who must be at least 10 years old to dive. Younger children need not despair, however, as they will be able to snorkel alongside St. Nick for their photo.

New York -- Chain Store Age will hold a webinar on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT) that will examine email marketing trends for Black Friday 2012 and how marketers used email to promote store shopping and events during the holiday weekend.

The webinar, sponsored by Bronto, will also cover such topics as promotional trends and the influence of mobile and social. Find out what you will need to do early in next year’s holiday season to ensure success.

Nashville – Retail's top industry analysts will join forces with C-level retail executives and technology vendors at the Retail Orphan Initiative's SuperSaturday event in New York on Jan. 12, one day before the opening of the National Retail Federation’s annual convention. Admission to retailers is free, and all proceeds from the vendor sponsorships go to help the Retail Orphan Initiative, Retailroi.org.

Starbucks blends tradition with innovation, transforming the vault of the historic Amsterdamsche Bank, a landmark building in Rembrandt Square, into its largest store in Europe. The chain’s first “concept” store in Europe, it spans 4,500 sq. ft. and was conceived as a theatre space with a 57-foot coffee bar as its stage, with multi-level areas that provide stages for local bands, poetry readings and other cultural activities. The store will function as a test space for rare and exclusive coffees, diverse coffee brewing methods, and new food concepts.

NEW YORK — Last minute holiday shoppers will have some help from Macy’s this year, as the retailer plans keep most of its stores open 48 hours straight the weekend before Christmas, from 7 a.m. Friday, December 21 through 7 a.m. Sunday, December 23.

The 48-hour shopping marathon coincides with Macy’s final scheduled One-Day Sale of the year, which concludes at 7 a.m. Sunday, December 23. While the sale ends Sunday morning, 57 stores will remain open 24 hours or offer extended late hours until close on Christmas Eve.

WAYNE, N.J. — Babies”R”Us is getting ready to give its exclusive Truly Scrumptious line designed by Heidi Klum the international treatment.

Following Truly Scrumptious’ successful U.S. launch in fall, the retailer decided to roll out the line of products for babies and children in more than a dozen countries outside the U.S. beginning early 2013.

Meyers has created a new division called Meyers Engage to focus on digital initiatives with CPG and food service companies. The Minneapolis-based firm plans to use cloud-based software platforms and mobile applications to help brands connect directly to customers through fun, informative and rewarding content, according to the company. The division has already begun deploying digital marketing campaigns for internationally known snack food and coffee brands.