Mass Merchant

Target’s voluntary recall is helping keep Halloween safe for young children.   The mass merchandiser recalled 127,000 Halloween-themed LED gel window “clings” because of the choking hazard they pose to children. The decals, an easy and affordable way to decorate windows and glass doors, light up when a dedicated button is pressed.  

Starbucks isn’t the only company that has big plans for China.   New Look, the British apparel retailer, is looking to expand to 500 stores over the next three years in China, Fortune reported. It currently operates a total of 850 stores globally, with 95 locations in China.  

Walmart has made another big e-commerce investment in China.   On the heels of launching three major e-commerce initiatives in China, Walmart will invest $50 million in New Dada — China’s largest local on-demand logistics and grocery online-to-offline (O2O) e-commerce platform.  

Two online brands and an iconic American designer top a list of retail brands that command the most loyalty among consumers.   Amazon, Zappos and Ralph Lauren were the top loyalty leaders in the retail segment in the 20th annual  Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders List.  The ranking, which is 100% consumer-driven, examined 72 categories and 635 brands. Rounding out the top five in retail: Sephora and Trader Joe’s.     

Walmart is ready to sink its teeth into the world’s largest e-commerce market.   Three months after entering into a strategic alliance with JD.com, China’s second-largest e-commerce website, Walmart is introducing Chinese shoppers to a new digitally-driven shopping experience. For example, Chinese shoppers got their first taste of Sam’s Club when Walmart opened the doors of its first flagship store in China today.  

Ron Loveless, the first CEO of Sam's Club who grew the retailer for several years before retiring in 1986, has died.   According to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Loveless died Monday at the age of 73 after "a long battle with cancer," according to a memo from Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and Sam's Club CEO Rosalind Brewer sent to Sam's Club employees.  

Target Corp. is letting the cat out of the bag early with regards to its next limited edition apparel collection.   The retailer announced its limited-edition spring collaboration will be with popular designer Victoria Beckham. The collection will be available April 9, 2017, at all Target stores and Target.com, the collection. In addition, select pieces from the collection will be available for sale internationally via Victoriabeckham.com.  

The use of cash remains strong among in-store shoppers.   That’s according to a new survey by Cardtronics, in which 89% of consumers report using cash in the past six months to pay for merchandise in a physical store.    Cash was followed by debit cards, used by 74% of consumers in the last six months, and credit cards, used by 66% of consumers. Eighteen percent of consumers reported using store mobile apps to pay for something in the last six months, and 17% used a mobile wallet.