Mass Merchant

Toronto -- Canadian discounter The Bargain Shops said Tuesday it has hired Beryl Jack Buley, former division president of Dollar General Corp., as its CEO.

The retailer said it is prepping for Target Corp.’s takeover of former Zellers stores across Canada in two years, which could shift some of Bargain Shop customers over to Target.

According to an Associated Press report, however, Buley said he is not worried about the impending competition from Target, saying that “enormous opportunity” remains in Canada.

New York City -- Interactive media company enVu said it has partnered with mall owner CBL & Associates Properties to deploy an immersive advertising platform, enSpire, within select CBL shopping centers located throughout the nation’s Top 20 designated market areas.

The enSpire platform utilizes interactive floor projection displays that engage consumer interaction with the featured content while providing a memorable experience for mall visitors and enhancing brand recognition and purchase intent for advertisers.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has made a $500,000 donation to Save the Children to assist with Japan’s earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.

“When disaster strikes, Target listens and acts quickly to provide meaningful support to people in need,” said Gregg Steinhafel, Chairman, President and CEO, Target. “Our thoughts are with all those affected by the earthquake and tsunami and we hope our donation will aid in the country’s recovery.”

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- An article in the New York Times reports that Sears' aggressive "Turf Wars" advertising campaign is part of a trend toward mentioning competitors by name.

Described as a marketing platform including social media and online video clips, The Sears Turf Wars campaign brings Lowe's and Home Depot into the picture.

REDMOND, Wash. -- Target has enlisted the services of Microsoft to help run business-critical workloads for all its retail stores on 15,000 virtual machines using Microsoft virtualization and management technologies, giving its IT department greater agility and economies of scale, Microsoft announced. According to Microsoft, Target is using Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V and Microsoft System Center to virtualize inventory, point-of-sale, supply-chain management, asset protection, in-store digital media and more.

Retail is a hard enough business without muddying the waters with all sorts of activities that have nothing to do with selling stuff shoppers want and need. To recap, Target gave some money to a homophobic politician who a lot of people thought was a jerk, which created an uprising in the gay and lesbian community and resulted in the company adopting a new policy to govern the political contribution process.

Japan may be a wealthy country, but as the death toll there continues to rise, major U.S. corporations are stepping up with significant donations and Target is among them. The company last week announced it would contribute $500,000 to Save the Children, an organization that is aiding with Japan’s earthquake and tsunami relief efforts.

Walmart's efforts to open in New York City were helped last week when a new poll, released Friday, found that New Yorkers would shop at Walmart if one opened in the city. No kidding? Target is already there and New Yorkers love Target, so it stands to reason they will love Walmart too even though the companies offer a slightly different value proposition and Walmart comes with a lot more baggage.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Target's deal with Lady Gaga may have fallen through, but that doesn't mean the retailer has lost its ability to court the music industry. Case in point, the company announced yesterday that it is partnering with GRAMMY and Academy Award-winning singer and actress Jennifer Hudson for the exclusive, deluxe edition of her second studio album, "I Remember Me." The deluxe edition, including four additional new songs and bonus video material, will be available only at Target stores nationwide and on Target.com beginning March 22.

New York City -- Shoppers plan to wait until next year and beyond to spend generously again, a survey on Monday showed, in an early sign that rising gasoline prices could make the spring selling season tough for retailers, Reuters reported.

About three-quarters of Americans surveyed by America's Research Group said they were shopping less due to rising gas prices, with more than 62% of the participants planning to spend generously only next year or beyond.