Mass Merchant

Minneapolis -- Just days after announcing 2011 U.S. expansion plans, Target announced an acquisition in Canada that will enable it to open between 100 and 150 stores during the next four years. The company announce that it has agreed to pay C$1.825 billion to purchase from Zellers Inc., a subsidiary of the Hudson's Bay Co., the leasehold interests in up to 220 sites currently operated by Zellers. This transaction will allow Target to open its first Target stores in Canada beginning in 2013.

Pasadena, Calif. -- Disney Store will open more than 25 new and remodeled locations around the globe in 2011. The stores will feature the company’s updated store design, which features an array of interactive and immersive experiences. The company ultimately plans to transform all its 350+ locations to the new concept.

“Guests told us that we brought the magic back to Disney Store with the launch of our new design, and they responded by staying in the stores longer and purchasing more,” said Jim Fielding, president, Disney Stores Worldwide.

New York City -- Twenty-three Kmart stores in Illinois and three other markets are testing financial centers where shoppers can cash checks, pay bills, place money orders and transfer money, according to Chicago Breaking Business.

A Kmart spokeperson declined to comment on whether a bigger roll out is planned, or what the retailer has learned so far from its test, the report said.

Seven of the Kmart stores are in Illinois, 10 are in Los Angeles, five are in Puerto Rico and one is in Wisconsin.

Minneapolis -- Target is opening 21 stores across 12 states, the retailer announced Tuesday.

Among the openings include five stores in California, a third store in Hawaii and a SuperTarget in Minnesota.

“Target takes great pride in designing stores that meet the needs of our guests and the communities we serve,” said John Griffith, Target executive VP. “With the addition of an expanded fresh food assortment, our new stores will offer guests everything they need in one convenient location.”

Chicago -- Year-over-year retail sales rose a solid 4% for the 2010 holiday shopping season (November/December), according to ShopperTrak’s National Retail Sales Estimate.

Conversely, total U.S. foot traffic fell slightly below expectations as consumers continued the pattern retailers saw throughout 2010 of fewer mall and individual store visits with a larger spend. ShopperTrak’s revised holiday forecast called for a 1.8% traffic increase.

MINNEAPOLIS — There were three takeaways to come out of Supervalu’s third-quarter analyst call Tuesday morning: the deep discount banner Save-A-Lot will be the most significant catalyst for growth going forward; Supervalu aggressively is addressing pricing issues that have had consumers who are more accustomed to the “hi” in the grocer’s "hi-lo" pricing strategy shopping elsewhere; and while traditional Supervalu banners ACME, Shaw’s and even Jewel-Osco do not have a “For Sale” sign on their respective front lawns, a

MINNEAPOLIS — Target is opening 21 stores across 12 states, the retailer announced Tuesday.

Among the openings include five stores in California, a third store in Hawaii and a SuperTarget in Minnesota.

“Target takes great pride in designing stores that meet the needs of our guests and the communities we serve,” said John Griffith, Target EVP. “With the addition of an expanded fresh food assortment, our new stores will offer guests everything they need in one convenient location.”

Zappos.com took top honors in the sixth annual NRF Foundation/American Express Customers' Choice Survey, whose results were released at the National Retail Federation's Annual Convention and Expo in New York City. The survey, conducted by BIGresearch, is designed to gauge consumer attitudes toward retailers' customer service and provide a list of the retailer that offer the best customer service (as judged by consumers).

The Top 10 retailers in the ranking were:

Minneapolis -- Two leaders of Target have been appointed to the retailer's executive committee.

Tina Schiel, senior VP enterprise strategy and new business development, was promoted to executive VP stores and will join the executive committee, while Laysha Ward, who will retain her position as Target's community relations president and Target Foundation president, also will join the executive committee.

More than one-third of the world’s 250 largest retailers suffered a decline in sales in fiscal 2009 (encompasses June 2009 through June 2010), according to the Global Powers of Retailing 2011 report, whose results were revealed at the National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention & Expo in New York City. The annual report, from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, identifies the largest 250 retailers around the world, provides an outlook for the global economy and an analysis of market capitalization in the retail industry.