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Denver – Whatever the cool kids (and their families) are doing this summer, back-to-school shopping does not appear to be on the agenda.

An ongoing shopper behavior study conducted by The Integer Group and M/A/R/C Research shows that retailers will continue to see the number of back-to-school shoppers in their stores drop.

In 2014, the data showed 36% of shoppers would not be shopping back-to-school, and this year the study is showing a 7% increase in those not shopping for back-to-school.

Green Bay, Wis. – Shopko Stores is looking more closely into how it uses store space. It’s also looking more deeply into customer’s market baskets.

The retailer has renewed its license of APT’s Test & Learn and Market Basket Analyzer software for another three years.

Minneapolis -- Target wants to keep things simple.

The retailer, which has been moving to simplify its operations, is now taking a similar approach to its store identity. Starting in October, Target will begin the process of rebranding all of its CityTarget and TargetExpress stores as “Target.”

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Holdings Corp. is expecting to announce some rare good news about profits thanks to a real estate spinoff when it reports its second quarter results on Aug. 20. But the news will be tempered by dismal sales results.

New York -- The Association for Retail Environments is bullish on the future.

The organization is predicting good days ahead for the U.S. economy in general and retail construction in particular. According to A.R.E.’s economic advisors, all indicators show that the 2016 economy in the U.S. will grow faster than it did in 2015. And while economic growth will slow in the back half of 2015, it will not be negative.

On the heels of Amazon's Prime Day promotion, Walmart.com is kicking off hundreds of special buys timed to a historical spike in traffic when customers start the bulk of their back-to-school shopping.

According to Walmart, traffic to Walmart.com doubles in the four days from July 31 to Aug. 3 as customers turn their attention from the pool back to school. So Walmart is kicking off Back to Class Cyber Days online and on its mobile app, featuring 30% more Rollbacks and hundreds of exclusive discounts.

Chicago -- J. Crew Group’s new value-priced store concept has announced a second location.

Mercantile, which recently made its national debut at The Shops at Park Lane in Dallas, will open at The Mayfair Collection, in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
   

New York -- The big spenders are at Costco.

People spent 149% more at Costco than at other retailers, according to mobile-location firm Placed, which linked store spending to tracked locations. Best Buy BJs, Sam's Club and Ikea also ranked high, Advertising Age reported.