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 City -- Target Corp. is in a class by itself when it comes to gift cards, offering a broad selection to suit all ages. In fact, the cards are so unusual that the retailer patents them, according to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Journal.

Click here to read the full story and see a slide show of some of Target’s most unusual gift cards.
 

Garden City, N.J. -- Sabre Real Estate Group said that Beth Lamport has joined the firm as executive VP.

Previously a director at Breslin Realty, Lamport also was a broker at Polimeni Realty and spent more 20 years as a marketing executive at Federal Department Stores, which owned Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Filene’s and Stern’s and now is known as Macy’s Inc.

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.

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?

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.

New York City -- Best Buy Co. said Monday it is buying out its joint venture partner, Carphone Warehouse Group PLC, in its fast-growing North American mobile business for $1.34 billion. As part of the reorganization of its relationship with the U.S. consumer electronics giant, Carphone Warehouse will shutter the 11 pilot big-box Best Buy stores it opened last year in the United Kingdom.

New York City -- A homeless man was charged with murder Thursday for a baseball bat attack on a 74-year-old Lakewood man in a Southern California Walmart, the Associated Press said.

Richard Lawrence Kalfin was charged with murder with a special allegation that he used a deadly weapon. He faces 57 years to life in prison if convicted and remained jailed on more than $1 million bail.