Target, Inc.

New York -- Best Buy Co. Inc. and Target Corp. ended a partnership that positioned Geek Squad agents in Target stores in Denver and Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

The six-month pilot allowed Geek Squad personnel to offer services such as installation and repair to electronics customers at 29 Target stores. The program covered a wide range of consumer electronics products, according to the report.

Boulder, Colo. -- In survey results released Wednesday by Market Force Information, DSW was named America’s No. 1 shoe retailer by more than 4,000 consumers polled.

Nordstrom, Nike, Shoe Carnival and Famous Footwear rounded out the top five.

Worthington, Ohio -- Three high-profile big-box retailers received high marks for their mobile experiences, according to a survey by Prosper Insights & Analytics. In fact, among mobile users, 28.9% have used their mobile devices to shop at Walmart, 27.7% at Target, and 22% at Best Buy.

San Francisco -- Google made a quiet announcement on Friday that it is officially launching the pilot of its Google Shopping Express program, which features online delivery initially in the San Francisco Bay area.

In a notice on the company’s website, Google Shopping Express product management director Tom Fallows described the program as a “new experiment,” one that offers “a local delivery service that we hope will make it possible for you to get the items you order online the same day, and at a low cost."

New York -- Kohl’s, Target, and Walgreens were named “Brand of the Year” in their respective categories in the 2013 Harris Poll EquiTrend survey.

The annual study, conducted by Harris Interactive, reveals the brands that Americans rank highest in brand equity. Surveying more than 38,000 American consumers, it measures the level of quality, familiarity, and purchase consideration for each brand, and then awards "Brand of the Year" status to the top-ranked brand from each category.

New York -- Barnes & Noble announced on Friday that it would give away a free Nook Simple Touch e-reader, which retails for $79, to any customer who buys its high-definition Nook HD+ tablet between March 24 and March 31.

The offer is available at all Barnes & Noble stores, Barnes & Noble College Bookstores and online. It also is being offered through other retailers that sell Nook products, including Walmart.com, Target and Best Buy.
 

New York -- Subway, Google, and Target, took the top three spots in “Social Currency Impact Study 2013” from global consulting firm Vivaldi Partners.

Dayton, Ohio -- Walmart holds on to the top spot in the annual ranking of the 50 most valuable U.S. retail brands from branding consultancy firm Interbrand. The discounter’s brand value is put at $141 billion (up 1% from the 2012 report.). By comparison, the second-highest ranked U.S. brand, Target Corp., has a value of $25 billion. The Home Depot is solid at number three, with a brand value of nearly $23 billion.