Mass Merchant

Target was ranked 27th on the 2012 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient study behind five notable retailers and in roughly the same position with the same score as the prior year, the market research firm announced on Monday.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Tuesday by the Commerce Department showed that consumer spending on retail goods rebounded in January after a flat holiday season.

Retail sales rose at a seasonally adjusted 0.4% last month, as consumers upped spending at department and general merchandise stores, as well as bought more electronics, home and garden supplies and sporting goods. Excluding autos, building materials and fuel sales, retail spending leaped 0.7%.

Sales in the consumer electronics space would have been abysmal in 2011 were it not for tablet and e-readers, according to data from market researcher The NPD Group, which shows Target has an opportunity to gain share.

Target’s recent moves to deepen its relationship with Apple could be beneficial in that regard, as it was Apple that drove CE activity in 2011 and is likely to do so again in 2012. Currently, Target is not among the top five CE retailers, which NPD lists as Best Buy, Walmart, Apple and a tie between Staples and Amazon.

A lineup of five new retailers will be opening at Westchester’s Ridge Hill in early spring, according to the New York City-area project’s developer Forest City Ratner Cos.

Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, White House | Black Market, The Limited and Vera Bradley will open around the same time as Lord & Taylor, slated to debut in mid-April.

Target is looking to get ahead of the curve in major media markets by placing communications executives in such places as Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto in addition to those at the Minneapolis home office, Ad Age reported on Monday.

Even ground-breaking partnerships must come to an end, and that will be the case next month when after collaborating on roughly 2,000 items over a 13-year span, the final offering of Michael Graves branded products arrives in Target stores.

Northridge, Calif. -- Chicago-based General Growth Properties said Monday it will update its Northridge Fashion Center property, in Northridge, Calif., by modernizing and enhancing both the interior and exterior of the shopping center.

Renovations to the property launch in February and include new flooring, new interior and exterior dining areas, revamped color palette and lighting, a re-invented Macy’s Court with a Cyberlounge, a new Children’s Play Area, and updated entrance façade, way-finding signage and lighting.

By Craig R. Johnson, [email protected]