Target, Inc.

Chicago — Jones Lang LaSalle recently appointed senior VP Larry Kilduff, a 25-year industry veteran, as head of the firm’s Midwest Retail platform, which is based in Chicago. Prior to JLL, Kilduff owned and operated two retail real estate development companies and worked with leading retailers including Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, Sears, Bon-Ton, Kohl’s and J.C. Penney.

An article that recently caught my eye adds more evidence to my growing suspicion (and I know I am far from alone in this) that the near-term to mid-term retail outlook might not be quite as positive as we may have thought just a few months ago. The piece, “Gap Stands out Among Retailers in Tough Quarter,” in Women’s Wear Daily highlighted the sobering second-quarter numbers from a long list of big retail brands. As the title implies, Gap, Inc.

New York -- Target Corp. will follow the lead of several other retailers, including Walmart, and allow shoppers to pick up select goods ordered online in its stores, the Star Tribune reported.

Target will introduce the service, referred to as Buy Online, Pick Up in Store (BOPS), in its hometown Minneapolis market and then expand it to all of its U.S. stores by Black Friday, according to the report.

A survey of consumers conducted by the National Retail Federation and published in the trade group’s September issue of Stores placed Walmart second on a list of the nation’s favorite e-commerce retailers, an encouraging sign given the company’s efforts to drive digital growth.

Minneapolis -- Target Corporation will open 23 new stores in Canada this fall, including its first stores in Quebec and Nova Scotia, along with additional Ontario locations in Ottawa and surrounding area. Fourteen stores will open on Sept. 17, and nine on Oct. 18.

Target’s entry into the world of video streaming with a service called Target Ticket is said to offer instant access to 15,000 titles and serve as an alternative to the Apple’s iTunes, Walmart’s Vudi and Netflix.

The service will work with Windows, Xbox, Android and Apple devices and was tested with Target employees, according to published reports. A roll out is said to be imminent with content providers including, ABC, AMC, CBS, CW, Fox, FX, HBO, The WB, NBC, Showtime, Starz and USA.

New York -- Drugstore operator Duane Reade in late August passed an important milestone: It surpassed 1 million Twitter followers. The drugstore chain, which is owned by Walgreens, is most-followed retailer on Twitter in the food, drug and mass arena.

Duane Reade has garnered five times more Twitter followers than its parent company Walgreens (180,390 followers), the second-most followed drug store retailer. CVS/pharmacy, No. 3, is followed by 117,931 Twitter followers.

Retailers were already leery about the outlook for consumer spending this holiday season and reports Wednesday of record auto sales in August only add to the concern.

Both Walmart and Target reported disappointing second quarter sales and tempered their outlook for the full year. Conversely, car salespeople across the country were clinking champagne glasses and cashing commission checks as their employers, everyone from Mazda to Honda to Porsche and Ford, said August was a record month.