Mass Merchant

New York -- Target will test same-day delivery in three markets as the online shipping war among retailers continues to gain momentum. Target will launch a $10 rush delivery pilot in June in the Minneapolis, Boston, and Miami, markets, offering guests the ability to order as late as 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon and receive a delivery of qualifying items between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. the same day, the company stated in its recent quarterly call with analysts.

Target will test same-day delivery in three markets as the online shipping war among retailers continues to gain momentum. Target will launch a $10 rush delivery pilot in June in the Minneapolis, Boston and Miami markets, offering guests the ability to order as late as 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon and receive a delivery of qualifying items between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. the same day, the company stated in its recent quarterly call with analysts.

Framingham, Mass. – Staples has named a veteran marketing executive, Frank Bifulco, as executive VP marketing, effective June 23. Bifulco previously served as chief marketing officer at Home Depot.

In the newly created role, Bifulco will lead marketing across Staples. He will report to Ron Sargent, chairman and CEO, and will be a member of the company’s executive committee.

The smart shopping brand and magazine All You from Time Inc., doubled its Facebook community during the past year and recently surpassed one million fans.

I indulged in a shopping center grand opening on May 22 – and I’m glad I did.

Themed “Indulge,” the opening event marked the official unveiling of the nation’s first truly downtown outlet center, Outlet Collection at Riverwalk, located in the heart of New Orleans, and built by West Coast developer Howard Hughes Corp.

Foothills Ranch, Calif. -- Fashion retailer Wet Seal Inc. swung to a loss in its  first quarter amid declining sales. The company reported a loss of $21.8 million, compared with a year-earlier profit of $3.1 million.

Sales fell 17% to $116.7 million. Total same-store sales, including e-commerce, fell 16.9%.
 
Wet Seal said it was challenged by  weak mall traffic, higher promotional activity and disruptive weather as challenges for the quarter.

Mars Chocolate has announced a slew of new products, which range from Mars Bites to Dove Whole Fruit Dipped in Dark Chocolate.

Mars Bites give consumers a taste of their favorite candy bars in bite-size pieces. Mars is adding Twix, Musketeers and Milky Way bites to the portfolio. The suggested retail price is $1.49 for a 2.83-oz. sharing size. A 6-oz. stand up pouch is available for a SRP of $2.99.

New York -- Google and Costco Wholesale Corp. came out on top in a survey of large companies with the best compensation and benefits for workers by jobs site Glassdoor. Rounding out the top five were Facebook, Adobe and Epic.

The ranking was based on an online anonymous survey that asked employees to rate how satisfied they were with their pay and benefits on a scale of 1 to 5. Costco and Google both received a score of 4.4 out of 5. Google ranked higher than Costco only by fractions of a point.