Marketing Tactics

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Tuesday by the Commerce Department showed that consumer spending on retail goods rebounded in January after a flat holiday season.

Retail sales rose at a seasonally adjusted 0.4% last month, as consumers upped spending at department and general merchandise stores, as well as bought more electronics, home and garden supplies and sporting goods. Excluding autos, building materials and fuel sales, retail spending leaped 0.7%.

Target is looking to get ahead of the curve in major media markets by placing communications executives in such places as Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto in addition to those at the Minneapolis home office, Ad Age reported on Monday.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Altierre, a provider of ultra low-power wireless solutions for retailers, has announced that retail industry veteran and former Longs Drug Stores CEO Steve Roath has joined the company’s board of directors.

Even ground-breaking partnerships must come to an end, and that will be the case next month when after collaborating on roughly 2,000 items over a 13-year span, the final offering of Michael Graves branded products arrives in Target stores.

LAS VEGAS — Supervalu on Monday announced that its new Essential Everyday private-label brand — to include more than 2,400 products by early 2013 — now is available in select independent retail locations.

“Early results have shown that Essential Everyday is performing very well at our 1,100 Supervalu-owned stores, and we believe that our independent retailers will see a positive customer response as well," stated Leon Bergmann, president of Supervalu's independent business.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Friday launched @WAGSocialCare, a Twitter customer hotline that takes on complaints and praise from Walgreens customers via the social media site. The site is being followed only by 20 "tweeters" through Monday, as compared with the more-than 90,000 who follow Walgreens' corporate Twitter account.

New York City -- Walgreens in January has been utilizing a new mobile advertising tool to push out messages targeting consumers who just "checked in" at one of its locations, according to a report published in Ad Age Wednesday.

According to the report, Walgreens sent out 5,000 messages in January via Twitter stating: "Check out Halls' new cough drops in the cold aisle."

CENTURY CITY, Calif. — Fans of the "Ice Age" film franchise will find everything they need at Toys"R"Us ahead of the July 13 release of "Ice Age 4: Continental Drift." The retailer is set as the film’s exclusive toy destination in North America, featuring movie-inspired products and promotions that will launch on July 1. Teaming with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products, Toys“R”Us will offer an extensive merchandising program, including a toy line from Just Play and The Promotions Factory.