Target, Inc.

2017: The year when retailers smash their cookie cutters?

Retail real estate professionals and retailers have a symbiotic relationship when it comes to creating great shopping centers and memorable destinations. The former can develop, lease, and broker spaces in great projects in compelling locations, but a retail or mixed-use project is ultimately defined by its tenants: the better the retailers, the better the project.

Beauty retailer outperforming all others in social media run up to Black Friday

With the Black Friday weekend nearly here, there are clear winners when it comes to social media engagement. At the head of the class is Sephora, with 2.4 million consumer interactions (reactions, comments, shares, retweets, favorites) across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sephora’s top status is being driven by its success on Instagram, a site that reveals high consumer enthusiasm for the retailer’s offerings of makeup box sets and key brands, such as Bite Beauty and Urban Decay, as well as its own collection.

In Q&A, Target chief merchant talks holiday

Mark Tritton, chief merchandising officer of Target, discusses the chain’s holiday strategy of emphasizing low prices as well as highlighting private-brand clothes and splurges for the season in an interview with the Associated Press.
Website Accessibility and the ADA: The Clear and Present Dangers
Report: Target hoping to open ‘hundreds’ of smaller stores

Target Corp. is bullish on its smaller store concept. Company CEO Brian Cornell he is “increasingly confident’ the retailer will open “hundreds of “small-format stores, USA Today reported. We think we have the opportunity to enter many, many new neighborhoods," Cornell said on a conference call.
Target touts improved order pick-up — just in time for the holidays

Order pick-up is getting easier at Target stores. In a posting on its website, the retailer detailed several enhancements to make it quicker and faster for shoppers who order online and pick up in a store. To make it easy to spot designated Target team members who can help with orders, Target associates in 325 stores nationwide have been outfitted with “Order Pickup” t-shirts, and offer order pickup reusable bags be used throughout the holiday season and beyond.
Target surprises in Q3; lifts forecast

Improving traffic and sales, particularly in the digital channel, helped Target Corp. easily beat third-quarter profit expectations as the discounter raised its year-end outlook. Target’s profit increased 10.7% to $608 million, or $1.07 cents a share, up from $549 million, or 88 cents a share, in the year-ago period. Adjusted for one-time expenses, it earned $1.04 cents a share, which was better than the 83 cents analysts had expected.
More big retailers announce Thanksgiving/Black Friday plans

Four of the nation’s largest retail chains remain committed to opening their doors on Thanksgiving. Target Corp. announced it will open its stores at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, and Best Buy said it plans to open at 5 p.m. Walmart will start its Black Friday event at 6 p.m. on Turkey Day (most Walmart locations are open 24 hours).
New pads planned for NRDC properties in New Jersey

National Realty & Development Corp. has announced that new pad buildings will begin going up at two of its centers in New Jersey. McDonald’s will enter Liberty Square Center in Burlington with a newly constructed 3,911-sq.-ft. store on one of the property’s outparcels. The 380,383-sq.-ft. Liberty Square is anchored by Walmart Supercenter, Acme, Marshalls, and Toys “R” Us.
The New Skill Set of Today’s Chief Merchandising Officer

When retail consisted mainly of brick and mortar stores, the role of the chief merchandising officer (CMO) focused almost exclusively on selecting merchandise, designing display strategies and planograms and driving category performance. This role was typically held by people who rose into the role as buyers. That’s because buyers first and foremost excel at spotting the next hottest trend while also having a keen eye on the dollars and cents side of the business.
U.K. retailer to drop anchor in the U.S.

Watch out Hallmark. A popular British greeting card and stationery brand has designs on the U.S. market. Paperchase is planning to open two freestanding stores in the United States next year, both in Chicago, The Telegraph reported. Currently, the brand supplies Target and Staples with private-label greeting cards.
Target boasts supply chain talent as it nabs Walmart exec

Target Corp. continues to beef up its supply chain management capabilities. The discounter announced it has appointed Shekar Natarajan to the newly-created role of senior VP, network planning and operational design, effective Nov. 20. Natarajan, a 15-year supply chain veteran, was most recently VP of last mile operations, emerging sciences and operational excellence at Walmart. He also held leadership roles at Walt Disney Company, Anheuser Busch and PepsiCo.