Retail

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.

Woonsocket, R.I. – CVS/pharmacy is offering members of its ExtraCare loyalty program double their ExtraBucks quarterly reward earnings between Sept. 16 and Dec. 15. Members can sign up for double earnings in-store or online and receive 4% instead of the usual 2% back on all eligible front-store purchases in the form of “ExtraBucks” that can be spent like cash in the store.

San Francisco – Gap reported same-store sales growth in its three global retail brands in August of this year that was significantly lower than in the same month last year. Gap global same-store sales rose 2% compared to 6% last year. At Banana Republic, same-store sales increased 2% compared to 8% last year, and Old Navy same-store sales grew 1% compared to 12% last year.

Net sales for the month were $1.23 billion, up 2.5% from net sales of $1.2 billion for the same month last year.

Memphis -- Perkins Restaurant & Bakery announced a six-unit franchise development agreement in Iowa and Nebraska over the next six years.  

The expanded development of the Iowa/Nebraska area was signed with Perkins franchisee CyHawk Hospitality Inc., which operates six Perkins Restaurants and Bakeries — five in Iowa and another in Independence, Mo.  
 
The first of the six additional units opened in July in Ankeny, Iowa, to be followed by a location in Norfolk, Neb., slated to open in September.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Stein Mart is among the first off-price retailers to launch an online store.

"We are excited to announce that we are in the e-commerce business and happy to be able to serve our customers who like to shop online," said Jay Stein, CEO. "As we learn more and grow this business, we anticipate that this channel will rapidly become our largest flagship 'store'."

Puma’s outlet-store prototype is streamlined, sporty and contemporary looking, with strong brand cues. The store model is built around sustainability and flexibility. It features a “design by subtraction” concept that is based on a mobile fixture kit of interchangeable stock parts that yield 30% lower energy consumption. A lack of partition walls results in fewer materials, and enables the entire store to be reconfigured without the need for permanent construction or installations.  

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Seventy-seven percent of consumers say shipping costs factor into their willingness to shop online. Results of the CFI Group Retail Satisfaction Barometer for second quarter 2013 also show that the most common consumer activity on retail websites is browsing and researching before in-store purchase (59%).

The husband of a woman who died following a bizarre series of developments precipitated by a shopping trip to Walmart is pursuing an even more bizarre lawsuit alleging the retailer and its manufacturer of plastic bags are at fault.