Target, Inc.

Minneapolis - Target Corp. plans to open two new smaller-format TargetExpress stores in San Francisco’s Financial District and Berkeley, California, in March 2015. Target’s first TargetExpress store opened this year in Minneapolis, and the San Francisco-area stores will mark the first time Target is expanding this format outside the Minneapolis area.

Target is expanding its TargetExpress format outside the Minneapolis area for the first time. The retailer plans to open two new stores in San Francisco’s financial district and Berkeley, California, in March 2015.

New York – Shoppers spent $50.17 billion online during the 2014 back-to-school shopping season, which represents a 16% gain from $43.26 billion in the year-ago period, according to eMarketer. Online commerce during the months of July and August — the main months for back-to-school shopping — accounted for approximately one-sixth of retail ecommerce sales for the year, according to eMarketer estimates, as well as 70.5% of retail ecommerce sales in third quarter 2014.

Beachwood, Ohio -- DDR Corp. announced the addition of Nordstrom Rack to The Shops at Midtown Miami, a 98% leased, 645,000-sq.-ft. urban, value-oriented power center in Miami.

DDR created space for Nordstrom Rack through its Project Accelerate initiative announced in May of 2014, whereby DDR is recapturing below-market leases from underperforming anchor tenants and backfilling these locations with best-in-class retailers.

By Joe Tichar, senior VP of corporate operations, DDR, Beachwood, Ohio

Forward-thinking retailers are increasingly leveraging their brick-and-mortar locations to establish omnichannel models that meet the growing consumer demand for a more convenient, more cost-effective and more personalized shopping experience.
 

Ottawa, Canada - Trying to stay competitive with Amazon.com on price may not be the best path to success for department store and discount retailers. According to pricing analysis of 1,000-plus household goods based on Amazon’s own assortment relative to Kohl’s, Walmart, Target and Macy’s conducted by 360pi and Retail Systems Research from March-June 2014, Kohl’s was consistently 30%-60% above Amazon’s pricing for this sample, but also reported the healthiest financials of the group.

By Chris Stoneff, Lieberman Software

My experience in cyber security tells me that the retail sector probably represents the most fertile ground for cyber criminals. That's because professional hackers understand that retail has never focused on IT security to the extent seen in other industries (like banks or payment processors) that handle customer payment card data.

Atlanta – The Home Depot Inc. is the latest retail chain to investigate a possible credit card data breach.  

“I can confirm we are looking into some unusual activity and we are working with our banking partners and law enforcement to investigate,” said Home Depot spokesperson Paula Drake in a prepared statement.

Mountain View, Calif. – Target’s back-to-school ad “Supplies They Need” resonated most with consumers among all back-to-school ads in 2014. According to TV and video advertising analytics provider Ace Metrix, consumers awarded an Ace Score of 673 to the Target spot.

New York -- Walmart, Target, CVS Caremark and the Army & Air Force Exchange Service are among the 50 best companies for Latinas to work for, according the magazine Latina Style.

Walmart ranked No. 10 on the list, Target No. 36, CVS Caremark No. 41 and the Exchange No. 46. The 2014 Latina Style 50 will be published in the magazine’s special August issue, and the companies will be recognized at the magazine’s awards ceremony and diversity conference early in 2015.