Marketing Tactics

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl's Corp. said Thursday it is doubling the size of its design office in New York City, as well as adding its first design studio on the West Coast, in Santa Monica, Calif.

The move, said the company, represents a commitment to its exclusive brands.

"The investment reinforces our commitment to offering world-class brands at compelling value to our customers," said Kevin Mansell, Kohl's chairman, president and CEO, in a statement.

New York City -- Attendees at the 2012 National Retail Federation convention (“The Big Show”) in  New York who donate $20 to The Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI) will take home a Build-A-Bear Teddy Bear. The annaul event will be held Jan. 15 -18, at the Jacob Javits Center.

In an initiative designed to raise funds for charities sponsored by RetailROI, Oracle is providing 2,000 Build-A-Bear Teddy Bears dressed in a custom RetailROI t-shirt at its booth on the exhibit floor (booth #1319).

Roughly 50,000 acres of additional wildlife habitat across the United States will be preserved in 2012 as part of Walmart’s Acres for America program.

The company announced awards to support projects in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, North Carolina and Tennessee as part of the Acres for America program that began in 2005 with a $35 million commitment to purchase and preserve one acre of wildlife habitat in the U.S. for every acre of land developed by the company through 2015.

NEW YORK — Although online sales grew 15% from 2010 to 2011, many retailers' online ordering, shipping and returns processes failed to keep pace, according to management consultancy Kurt Salmon's rankings of 50 retailers.

Commerce, Calif. -- 99 Cents Only Stores reported Wednesday that total third-quarter revenue rose to $403.9 million, from $365.4 million.

Sales at its namesake stores grew to $393.3 million from $354.1 million a year ago, just missing Wall Street’s expected $393.6 million in revenue.

For the quarter, same-store sales rose 8.5% on higher traffic and per-visit tickets.

Hammond, La. -- Covington, La.-based Stirling Properties announced the addition of Cato and Bellagio Salon & Spa to its tenant lineup at Hammond Square Shopping Center, located in Hammond, La. 

Cato will open its second Hammond store in spring 2012 across from Merle Norman and Purse Bag Pattie’s. Bellagio Salon and Spa is slated to open its first location in March/April 2012 next door to Purse Bag Pattie’s. The new store is 2,554 sq. ft. and will offer full-service spa treatments.

The Germans didn’t know the precise landing point of the allied of invasion of Europe, but Walmart now knows where Target plans to launch its assault on the Canadian market.

Atlanta -- Dollar volume growth on cards overall was a healthy 6.9%  in December, according to First Data Corporation’s First Data SpendTrend analysis for the full month of December 2011 compared to December 2010. SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.

However, strong auto sales, driven by low interest rates, likely diverted consumer spending to car sales from other retail areas, the report said. Auto sales are not captured in SpendTrend figures.