Mass Merchant

Minneapolis – Target has won a case against non-profit group Canvass for a Cause in the Superior Court of the State of California, San Diego. Target sought and received the right to prohibit groups or individuals from using its property for expressive activity, as well as a judgment for trespass alleging that Canvass for a Cause and individuals associated with it have come onto Target property without authorization to do so and have refused to leave.

The retail and consumer packaged goods industry fared poorly in a recent global ranking of corporate sustainability leaders with the handful of standouts being Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Staples and Campbell Soup Company.

The ranking of 100 companies compiled by Corporate Knights, a media, research and investment advisory company, included only17 U.S. companies and only two retailers. Sweden’s H&M was ranked 64th and Staples was ranked 72nd.

Los Angeles — CBRE’s national retail investment group has arranged the sale of Oak Grove Plaza, a 120,491-sq.-ft. retail center anchored by Kroger Signature, to Chicago-based LaSalle Investment Management.

CBRE marketed the property, which is located in the Dallas suburb of Sachse, Texas, on behalf of Invesco Advisers.

New York -- Testifying Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed that the Justice Department is investigating the consumer data breach at Target Corp.

"While we generally do not discuss specific matters under investigation, I can confirm the Department is investigating the breach involving the U.S. retailer, Target," Holder said in his statement to senators,.”

President Obama in his State of the Union address last night said he plans to sign an executive order increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour for workers on new government contracts and asked Congress to approve the same increase for all workers — and the National Retail Federation is not happy.

NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay issued a response ahead of the president’s address.

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. — Shopping Center development in Chicagoland has improved significantly in recent years. Activity showed a 98.7% increase in total sq. ft. from 2012 to 1013, according to the “Chicagoland 2014 Shopping Center Report” just issued by Mid-America Real Estate Corp.

In 2013, owners developed approximately 2.26 million sq. ft., compared to 1.14 million sq. ft. in 2012.

Mississauga, Ontario -- Target Corp. announced that it will continue its Canadian expansion in 2014 by adding another nine locations to the 124 Target stores now open in all 10 provinces. The majority of the new stores will open in Ontario, with single store additions planned for Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C.

Kozy Shack, a 50-year-old pudding brand, is hiring a spokes-grandma to represent the brand nationally in online, broadcast and print advertisements.

The call for applications has been put out coast-to-coast: Pudding-loving grandmas can submit their applications at KozyShack.me/Grandma now through Jan. 31. More information can be found in job postings on Monster, Careerbuilder and LinkedIn.