Target, Inc.

In case you missed it, Retailing Today published its annual Insights 2013 issue recently and while Target is currently the nation’s sixth largest retailer that position is likely to change in 2013.

It is conceivable Target could become the nation’s fourth largest retailer by this time next year, overtaking both Home Depot and Walgreens.

Layaway program have become all the rage the past few years as retailers seeks to offer shoppers every conceivable convenience to capture every available sales dollar.

Target this week entered the seasonal fray dominated so far by Walmart and Toys "R" Us attempting to outdo one another with announcements about their layaway offers, product reservation programs and top toy lists.

Silicon Valley companies paved the way for corporate America to offer non-traditional workplace amenities and now Target has joined their ranks.

Dallas -- The Merchant Customer Exchange announced Tuesday that Bed Bath & Beyond, Dillard's, Dunkin’ Brands, Gap, Sheetz and Wakefern Food Corp. are among those joining the existing lineup of merchants who are committed to creating a seamless mobile-commerce solution.

Beachwood, Ohio -- DDR Corp. announced Monday the acquisition of $328 million of prime assets and the disposition of $12 million of non-prime assets during the quarter.

Year to date, the company closed $2 billion of acquisitions, including the joint venture with Blackstone's flagship real estate fund, and disposed of $137 million of non-prime assets.

As of the third quarter, DDR said it has raised gross common equity capital of $435 million through the issuance of 31.7 million new common shares to fund investments and lower leverage.

Pricing studies conducted this week by Wall Street analysts yielded familiar results.

Deutsche Bank analyst Charles Grom and Citigroup analyst Deb Weinswig issued reports this week comparing Walmart’s prices to dollar stores and conventional supermarkets and Target.

Executive compensation has always been a hot topic in corporate America — and the retail industry is no exception. These days, two trends are upping the attention paid to pay at the top: the ongoing move to performance-based equity, and the scrutiny compensation packages are receiving from increased SEC regulations and shareholder involvement.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target customers who receive the retailer's mobile coupons can now access them on their iPhone or iPod touch via Passbook.

“We’re thrilled to bring our guests the ability to use Target mobile coupons via Passbook on their iPhone and iPod touch,” said Phil McKoy, VP Target.com and mobile experience. “Passbook marks an exciting step forward as Target continues to seek the most innovative ways to deliver a great shopping experience to our guests.”

Widespread media reports have Walmart discontinuing the sale of Amazon’s popular Kindle devices, which begs the questions what took so long and will we ever see a Walmart tablet.

Walmart’s decision to begin selling the Kindle was one of the more wrong-headed moves the company has ever made. A Kindle is Amazon’s version of a Gillette razor, essentially a device that provides consumers a portal to purchase Amazon’s other inventory, or in Gillette’s case, more blades. Target wisely gave Kindle the boot earlier this year.