Winter Holidays

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Dannon's Greek yogurt brand Oikos has teamed up with chef, restaurateur, and winner of Bravo’s Top Chef All-Stars, Richard Blais, to help Americans create tasty, nutritious holiday recipes that will be a hit with guests.

“Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean you have to compromise on nutrition,” said Blais. “I am excited to work with Dannon Oikos on their Tasty Additions to Your Traditions campaign and provide recipes that are a great addition to a healthy lifestyle.”

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer announced that it will double match every customer's $10 Simply Give donation made Nov. 9 to 10 to help boost support for local food pantries before the holidays. The Double Match Days initiative is being launched as part of the retailer's Taste of the Holidays in-store sampling event as a way to thank customers for their continued commitment to help fight hunger in the Midwest.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens on Monday reported October sales of $6 billion, down 2.1% compared with October 2011. The results include the brunt of the impact from Hurricane Sandy — at the peak of the storm, approximately 750 of 1,400 stores in the impacted area were closed, Walgreens said. Nearly all of those locations have since reopened.

Total same-store sales were down 5.9%.

New York -- For the second year in a row, Macy’s stores nationwide will open at midnight on Black Friday, Friday, Nov. 23.

A new Black Friday feature on Macy’s mobile app will help customers browse and shop for specials specific to their local store.

By Chris Merritt, Ryder

Natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy are devastating. They impact people’s lives and livelihood. In addition, as we’ve learned from recent years, they can result in significant supply chain disruptions. Following the storm, we are seeing three issues impacting retail supply chains – power, fuel, and people.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Hasbro has provided $100,000 in combined grant support through the Hasbro Children’s Fund to the American Red Cross, World Vision and Feeding America to support their relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy. Additionally, over 10,000 games have been donated to shelters along the east coast.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. unveiled its lineup of gift cards for the upcoming holiday season. The expanded assortment, which include traditional gift cards with holiday and multicultural designs, and digital options, will be available in stores on Nov. 4

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer is offering discounts on more than 400 toys at stores and online in anticipation of the holiday season as many customers are likely to want to keep prices down, the Midwestern mass-merchandise chain said Thursday.

The chain also plans to release a holiday gift guide that includes 18 pages of toys and an online release of its list of its top 25 toys. The toy discounts include toys in “virtually every” category, ranging from action figures to educational toys.