Retail

Minneapolis – One way Target is trying to make shopping for school supplies hassle-free is with the School List Assist online hub. Currently in beta, School List Assist offers a curated assortment of the most common K-8 supplies on the list. Parents can purchase the school supplies their kids need and then pick them up in store or have them shipped to their homes.

Retailers who sell food have seen firsthand the huge shift in consumer behavior toward natural, organic, gluten free and non-GMO products. Offering a view of what’s next in the grocery aisle this week was leading food supplier General Mills.

As part of an investor day to unveil growth strategies, the $18.8 billion company shared details about a broad range of new product introductions that debut this summer and are expected to drive retail sales.

Greensboro, N.C. – Outlet shopping center operator Tanger Factory Outlet Centers Inc. is launching new sustainability initiatives for its U.S. locations promoting alternative energy usage.

Among these initiatives is a nationwide electric vehicle (EV) charging network system that will be available at 23 Tanger Outlets locations in the U.S.

Tanger has partnered with ChargePoint Networks to develop and maintain the network providing multiple spaces for EV owners with no added cost.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings had tapped a Gymboree exec as president and put her in charge of Sears’ Shop Your Way loyalty program.

Sears is using the program to align its online and offline operations.

With its stock trading at a 52-week low, Sears has made an interesting choice to lead its department store business.

The company says it has found a new executive to develop a strategy for the Sears format that focuses on meeting the needs of the Shop Your Way member.  

Lewisville, Texas – Connected consumers are increasingly using a wide variety of channels on their path to purchase. According to new research from Blackhawk Engagement Solutions, the smartphone is the most prevalent Internet device, with 71% of shoppers using one daily.

Smartphone use is followed by laptop, 66%; desktop computer, 50%; and tablet, 43%.

Seattle -- Amazon has released an early preview of some of the deals that will be offered on July 15, as part of its first-ever Prime Day anniversary extravaganza. The promotion, which Amazon claims will be bigger than Black Friday, has caused Walmart to offer its own super-sale online on Wednesday.

Birmingham, Ala. -- In a deal that may take it private again, Books-A-Million Inc. has given its OK to a buyout deal from the family of its original owners.

The chain reached an agreement to be acquired by a newly organized entity owned by the Anderson Family, which includes Books-A-Million executive chairman Clyde B. Anderson, for $21 million, or $3.25 a share in cash. (According to the most recent SEC filing, the Anderson family already owns 58.2% of the company).