Retail

This year, it seems that you can’t turn on the TV or read the news without seeing that another store is opening on Thanksgiving. Some believe Black Friday is fading away as more retailers choose to open early to compete with other shopping options such as online sales. I don’t think that Black Friday is going away, but I do think that it is evolving to best serve the needs of the consumer. Any retailer that is going to be successful long-term has to evolve, too.

Acosta Mosaic Group, the marketing division of Acosta Sales and Marketing, has launched Shopper Solutions, a newly formed agency which combines AMG’s retailer-facing marketing services in the U.S. and Canada and is designed to deliver a streamlined offering to clients across North America.

Touted by the firm as North America’s only purchase design agency for retailers, Shopper Solutions will allow North American retailers to engage their shoppers online and in-store through “captivating shopper experiences.”

Sports Authority has kicked off its 2013 holiday ad campaign, “There’s Nothing Like the Gift of Sport.” The campaign’s message may resonate with those who are already athletically inclined, but will face challenges with XBox One or PlayStation4 aficionados.

The campaign seeks to persuade people to “unplug” this holiday season and embrace sports, a move which has the potential of generating traffic in stores and online as people shop for everything from sneakers and workout clothes to fitness equipment and sports gear.

Instacart, a service that delivers groceries from multiple local stores within an hour, has expanded its footprint to include independent supermarket Berkeley Bowl as well as Costco to its grocery store lineup just in time for the holiday season.

The company’s Berkeley and Oakland customers can now mix items from Whole Foods, Safeway, Costco and Berkeley Bowl into one order and have them delivered the same day.

Meijer is relying on a familiar tactic to drum up foot traffic into its stores ahead of Thanksgiving Day by once again offering aggressive pricing on turkeys.

"A Thanksgiving meal isn't complete without the turkey, and with these great prices, Meijer wants to ensure that our customers can provide their families with the best holiday experience," said Jerry Suter, VP of fresh merchandise.

New research from the National Retail Federation sheds light on how 140 million Americans plan to shop during the Thanksgiving weekend.

According to a new survey from the National Retail Federation, Black Friday will be the biggest day of the weekend: 69.1% plan to shop on Black Friday, or approximately 97 million shoppers.

Lowe’s has elected former WellPoint executive Angela Braly to the company's board of directors. Braly’s term will expire at Lowe's 2014 annual meeting of shareholders. Her addition brings the total of members to 12, of whom 11 are independent.

Following a heated back-and-forth between Jos. A. Bank and the Men’s Wearhouse, which culminated in an ultimatum, Jos. A. Bank Clothiers has terminated its acquisition proposal.

As previously reported, Jos. A. Bank had advised the Men's Wearhouse board that it would terminate its all-cash proposal to purchase the company for $48 per share if the board failed to “engage in good faith negotiations” by Nov. 14. The day came and went and the companies continued in a deadlock.