Winter Holidays

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart said it will present more than $1.5 million to nonprofits in six U.S. communities, thanks to Facebook users' help with the retailer's commitment to fight hunger through 2015.

Walmart's Fighting Hunger Together campaign called on Facebook users to go to Walmart.com/fighthunger and "like" one of the 100 hungriest communities in the United States, as ranked by the Food Research and Action Center. More than 10 million votes were cast during the campaign, which ran from Nov. 15 through Dec. 31.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl's Corp. reported Thursday that its fourth quarter net earnings rose 14% and the board authorized the first dividend in the company's history. But the chain said consumers will remain cautious in 2011 and gave a full-year earnings forecast below Wall Street’s expectations.

Kohl’s said that income the quarter ended Jan. 29 increased to $493 million from $431 million a year earlier, slightly ahead of predictions. Revenue rose 6% to $6.04 billion from $5.68 billion, in line with projections.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penny Co. said Tuesday it has introduced a new logo, designed to symbolize the retailer’s transformation to a more updated and relevant destination.

The new logo emphasizes a new, lowercase “jcp” by positioning it slightly off-centered in a red box while still featuring the company's signature red color. It was designed by Luke Langhus, a third-year graphic design student at the University of Cincinnati.

New York City -- Borders Group on Thursday won bankruptcy court approval to liquidate approximately 200 stores in a deal that may bring in $175 million to creditors. The sales will begin Feb. 19, allowing Borders to take advantage of the President’s Day holiday, typically a major shopping weekend.

Hilco Merchant Resources LLC, SB Capital Group, Tiger Capital Group LLC and Gordon Brothers Group won the bidding to handle the liquidation sales, according to Bloomberg.

New York City -- A report released Thursday by American Express Business Insights said that spending in the fourth quarter was up across the board, but the retail sector spend growth was more subdued despite the holiday shopping season.

Toy Fair took over the Javitz Center in New York City this week, and amidst the fun was some serious business as toy companies showcased what they hope will be the next big thing. Just take the Sing-a-ma-jigs line from Mattel. Introduced at last year’s Toy Fair, the harmonizing toy was a major holiday hit, and retailers who got their hands on them reaped the benefits.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Tuesday by the U.S. Commerce Department said sales at U.S. retailers edged up 0.3% in January, less than the expected 0.5% to 0.6% increase, but still the seventh straight month of gains. A series of snow storms that hit much of the country throughout the month was cited as one of the factors for the weaker showing.

New York City -- Total retail sales (excluding autos) grew by 5.5% year-over-year, on par with December’s growth rate, and slightly higher than November’s, according to MasterCard Advisors’ SpendingPulse. SpendingPulse reports on national retail and services sales and is based on aggregate sales activity in the MasterCard payments network, coupled with survey-based estimates for all other payment forms