Mass Merchant

Rite Aid has become one of the key retail partners in a first for the U.S. market: a coalition loyalty program called Plenti that includes the likes of American Express, AT&T, Direct Energy, Exxon/Mobil, Hulu, Macy's and Nationwide.

Grand Rapids, Mich. -- Meijer will up its fashion game with the spring launch of a Skechers concept shop inside the Knapp's Corner Meijer, Michigan, about one year after the retailer unveiled a fresh approach to lure grocery customers across the center aisle to its apparel offerings.

"Our customers have realized just how serious we are about providing on-trend fashion items at the right price," said Peter Whitsett, executive VP of merchandising and marketing for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based supercenter.

Amid a fast-changing industry in which retailers seek to harmonize their online and physical stores, the largest retailer in the world has announced the date of its annual shareholders meeting.

Wal-Mart Stores announced the meeting will be held on June 5 at 7 a.m. CDT in the Bud Walton Arena at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark.

The meeting will be webcast on the company’s website at http://stock.walmart.com. The company also announced that April 10 is the record date for that meeting.

Philadelphia -- Shopping center owner PREIT said that it will add several key – and some first-to-market – tenants to several of its upscale malls.  

At Cherry Hill (New Jersey) Mall, new tenants include lululemon athletica, Tumi, and e.l.f. studio; Primark will open in 2016 at Willow Grove (Pennsylvania) Park; and Garage will open at Woodland Mall, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

New York -- Target Corp. will raise its minimum wage to $9 per hour, with the change effective in April, according to a report late Wednesday afternoon by Dow Jones.

The move comes after several other major retailers, most recently Walmart and TJX Cos., unveiled similar wage hikes. It also comes amid a tightening job market.

Target has been hit with a slew of negative reports recently, and now the retailer is trying to do something positive for its image by making its return policy more shopper-friendly.

Target Corp. announced an enhanced return policy Wednesday covering all of the retailer’s 32 owned and exclusive brands, which extends the return window to one year from the date of purchase. The retailer also rolled out a one-year return guarantee for guests using Target’s baby, college or wedding gift registry.

Meijer is upping its game when it comes to trendy fashion with a spring launch of a Skechers concept shop.

The Skechers shop is opening inside the Knapp's Corner Meijer in Michigan, roughly one year after the retailer unveiled a fresh approach to lure grocery customers across the center aisle to its apparel offerings. 

Foothill Rach, Calif. – A winning bidder has reportedly emerged for the assets of The Wet Seal Inc., which declared bankruptcy in January 2015. According to the Wall Street Journal, Versa Capital Management LLC will take over at least 140 store leases and invest $10 million in the specialty apparel chain.