Mass Merchant

MINNEAPOLIS — Target shoppers have a new incentive for joining the retailer's REDcard Rewards loyalty program: free shipping on Target.com. In addition, for the first time Target Debit Cards can be used on Target.com, the company said.

NEW YORK — The ways in which the largest U.S. retail brands address the needs of their customers on Facebook and Twitter were unveiled last week in a white paper — Safeway and Sears topped charts; Costco, Kmart, Kroger and Walmart were found wanting, according to Conversocial, a software company that develops social media tools.

BOULDER, Colo.— Kohl’s is the nation’s favorite fashion retail chain, according to an annual consumer survey conducted by Market Force Information, a worldwide leader in customer intelligence solutions. This is the third year in a row that Kohl’s has earned the top spot. Nordstrom ranked as consumers’ second favorite, followed by Macy’s, Dillard’s and JCPenney. Rounding out the top ten were Coldwater Creek (6), Ann Taylor Loft (7), T.J. Maxx (8), Old Navy (9) and Marshalls (10).

Target said it plans to close stores in Broomfield, Colo., Raleigh, N.C., Orlando and Portland by the end of its fiscal year in late January.

The low single-digit apparel-and-accessories comps increase Target reported in October put the company squarely in the middle of the pack with department store and specialty apparel competitors.

Target reported a 3.3% same-store sales increase for October and a similar figure could be in order for November as the company again provided guidance calling for a low-to-mid single-digit increase.

Target is out with a beast of a holiday toy catalog that weigha in at 52 glossy pages that employs a variety of incentives to promote sales in advance of Thanksgiving weekend. Nothing unusual about that or the fact that the publication features all sorts of cool products and high quality photography that is sure to have kids drooling if parents make the mistake of leaving the thing lying around.

New York City -- A truck driver who slipped and fell on ice and grease while he was making a delivery to a Walmart store in northern Colorado can collect a nearly $10 million award after the state Supreme Court upheld a jury verdict in the case on Monday, the Associated Press reported.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. is adding a new benefit to its REDcard Rewards loyalty program: free shipping on Target.com purchases when guests use their REDcards. In addition, for the first time Target Debit Cards can be used on Target.com.

Target’s REDcard Rewards loyalty program applies to the Target REDcards, including the Target Credit Card, Target Visa Credit Card and Target Debit Card. The program offers guests an extra 5% off Target’s already prices on nearly all items purchased in stores and online when they use a REDcard.

Central Ohio’s largest mall opened 10 years ago, and has continued to improve and evolve over a sometimes tumultuous decade, thanks to a hands-on management approach by its owner Glimcher Realty Trust, based in Columbus, Ohio.  Chain Store Age talked with Michael Glimcher, president and CEO of Glimcher Realty Trust, about Polaris Fashion Place and how it has stood the test of time.

In its 10-year history, how has Polaris Fashion Place changed/evolved over the decade, especially during the more recent recessionary climate?