Apple, Inc.

WASHINGTON — Desire for more organic food, high-end products and mobile technologies were the driving trends of the fastest-growing retailers in the United States, according to the National Retail Federation's "Hot 100 Retailers" list. Published annually in the group's STORES August issue, the list consists of retail companies that reported the greatest increase in domestic sales between 2010 and 2011. All public and private companies with more than $300 million in sales were eligible for the list, which was compiled by Kantar Retail.

JCPenney is not dead yet. New shops and free haircuts may help.

Retail pundits eager to write JCPenney’s obituary may want to wait until after the back-to-school season as the struggling retailer revealed several intriguing merchandising moves reminiscent of the tactics CEO Ron Johnson employed during his tenure running Apple stores. And in an unconventional buzz-building, traffic generating move the company said it would offer free haircuts to kids at its salons throughout August.

PLANO, Texas — When JCPenney first announced its “fair and square” pricing strategy back in January with a great deal of hoopla and fanfare -- complete with a NYC media event attended by 700 people -- there was much hope that former Apple executive CEO Ron Johnson and then president Michael Francis, formerly at Target, would be able to bring some of their retail magic to the stagnant retailer.

The Polaroid company may have went through its share of financial difficulties, but there is plenty of equity left in the brand name and Walmart’s Asda unit is looking to capitalize on it this month with a new line of consumer electronics.

Asda this week began offering an exclusive range of CE items including televisions, media players and audio equipment under the Polaroid brand.

PLANO, Texas — JCPenney is boosting its store-in-store offerings by adding 700 Joe Fresh in-store boutiques to its department stores in April 2013.

Joe Fresh, which is a Canadaian fast-fashion brand, will also be featured on JCP.com.

By Eileen F. Mitchell, emitchell@rcsrealestate.com

Framingham, Mass. -- Mobile payments have more than doubled in popularity reaching over 33% of survey respondents, according to IDC Financial Insights’ eighth annual Consumer Payments Survey.

The new report, “Business Strategy: Results from the 2012 Consumer Payments Survey,” found that those that of whose had made a mobile payment, more than half used PayPal Mobile (56%), with Amazon Payments and Apple's iTunes service statistically tied at about 40%. 

The past few months have seen a flurry of store openings in New York City. Here’s a rundown on some of this summer’s hottest new must-sees as chosen by my go-to expert on Big Apple retail happenings Faith Hope Consolo,  chairman of the retail division at Prudential Douglas Elliman: