Retail

Ten Target stores in the San Francisco area are experimenting with a new mobile shopping app called Curbside, which promises to deliver the next generation of commerce.

Curbside launched its mobile app this week to make finding, buying and getting the things shoppers need from their favorite local stores faster and easier than ever before, according to the company. Target is among the retailers whose stores are participating in the Curbside app.

Franklin, Tenn. – Mobile POS technology is growing in popularity among retailers, particularly in the enterprise space, according to the new Mobile POS Software Market Share report from global research and advisory firm IHL.

Bentonville, Ark. – Walmart is expanding its role in health care. The retail giant is teaming up with DirectHealth.com, an online health insurance comparison site and agency, to set up counters in its stores where shoppers can speak with licensed agents about available health insurance options. Walmart’s expanding role in health care comes as drug store chains, including Walgreens and CVS, continue to beef up their own healthcare services.

New York -- RadioShack Corp. has agreed to a financing packaging arranged by its biggest investor, hedge fund Standard General, that would help ease the retailer’s cash crunch as it heads into the holiday selling season, Bloomberg reported.

Spending on consumer electronics this holiday season is projected to reach a record level of nearly $34 billion as shoppers clamor for ultra high definition televisions, smart watches, tablets and a new crop of smartphones.

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) predicts the 2014 holiday season will see the highest levels of consumer spending on consumer electronics since the group began tracking the category two decades ago. The trade group’s holiday outlook envisions total tech spending increasing 2.5% to $33.76 billion.

New York - RKF has arranged two leases totaling 2,680-sq.-ft. at 1200 Madison Ave. on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with beauty retailer Bluemercury and upscale Scotland-based knitwear company Brora. The new Bluemercury, scheduled to the week of Oct. 6, will occupy 1,705-sq.-ft. and will be the brand’s second location on the Upper East Side.

Michaels is looking to generate traffic to its stores for Halloween with its annual in-store Great Pumpkin Event and the launch of its "Trick Your Pumpkin" sweepstakes Saturday, Oct. 4.

Every Friday from Oct. 10-31, Michaels will award a $250 Michaels gift card and gift basket of Plaid products to a randomly selected customer who creates a pumpkin craft. To enter, customers must post a photo of their pumpkin on Instagram with #TrickYourPumpkin and #sweepstakes, or at www.michaels.com/trickyourpumpkin, beginning Oct. 4.

Pittsburgh – Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. is opening three remodeled stores on Oct. 12. The stores are located in Toledo, Ohio, Gaithersburg, Maryland, and Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

The Toledo Store measures 50,000 sq. ft. The Gaithersburg store is located in Washingtonian Center and measures more than 100,000 sq. ft. The Wilkes-Barre store is located in Arena Hub Plaza and measures 45,000 sq. ft.