Marketing Tactics

NEW YORK — Kmart has teamed up with Alloy Media + Marketing for a second Web series promoting Kmart for back-to-school. The Web series, "First Day 2: First Dance (www.facebook.com/FDtheseries and www.kmart.com/firstdance) is scheduled to premiere on Sept. 9 and is the sequal to the company's original Web series, "First Day."

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Family Dollar opened its 7,000th store Thursday, further cementing the dollar-store channel as an area of rapid growth.

The store is located in Memphis, Tenn., and features a green building design and a spacious layout for an optimal shopping experience, the company reported. 

To commemorate the opening of its 7,000th store in Memphis, Family Dollar completed the celebration with the $7,000 donation to the Mid-South Food Bank, along with cans of food donated by members of the local community. 

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Parents will spend more on apparel for this school year versus last year, a new survey from Sears and BlogHer, a network of women social media leaders, revealed. 

Walmart pulled out of Korea a few years ago and may not be paying much attention to the market, but there are some interesting things happening there. For example, Tesco has developed an interesting shopper marketing solution that appeals to time-starved Korean commuters. The strategy could be applied to other urban areas where hordes of smart phone wielding commuters have embraced QR codes and ride well maintained mass transit systems. Even though those requirements rule out most U.S.

Walmart’s policy of prohibiting employees from accepting the smallest of gratuities has been in place for a long time and for good reason. Veterans of the company will tell you that early on it was a key driver of success because there was a time when the retail industry was rife with merchants who tended to make buying decisions that were in their best interest as opposed to those of customers.

NEW YORK — Macy's announced that Dev, The Ready Set, Soulja Boy, Cris Cab and Motion City Soundtrack will be among the artists performing at its mstylelab free concerts at 15 Macy's stores nationwide. 

Concert attendees will have the chance to connect with musicians while exploring the newly revamped mstylelab lounge. On display will be back-to-school styles and accessories from Macy's exclusive brands American Rag and Material Girl.

WASHINGTON — Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have announced a $3 million initiative designed to help D.C. residents get the skills and training they need to gain employment. The program will offer literacy, customer service and retail training to 2,000 District residents.

The ongoing emphasis on expense reduction and every day low prices saw Walmart curtail its promotional activity during July, according to the last monthly report from Market Track examining promotional activity at the nation’s leading retailers. Click here to see results for the nation’s top 15 retailers.

Milwaukee -- Goodwill Industries said Thursday it has teamed with Prolitec to introduce fragrance technology to 44 of its stores in southeastern Wisconsin and metropolitan Chicago.

The rollout was preceded by a four-store test, and now the 44 locations, which include four under construction or in the process of opening, will utilize a signature scent featuring hints of sweet orange and honeysuckle, custom-designed by Milwaukee-based Prolitec.

Austin, Texas -- DMX said Thursday it has extended its partnership with 77kids by american eagle.