News

Just six months after being named chairman and CEO of Target, Brian Cornell is pulling the plug on the retailer’s 133 unit Canadian operation and will incur a $5.4 billion pre-tax loss in the fourth quarter to do so.

Target said it plans to discontinue operating stores in Canada through its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Target Canada Co. and that it had filed an application for protection under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act (the “CCAA”) with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Toronto.

Retailers set more online sales records this holiday season and that means UPS will be busy in early January.

UPS is projecting its highest volume for return activity will be Jan. 6 when the carrier expects consumers will ship more than 800,000 packages back to retailers and merchants. By the end of the first full week of January, return volume is expected to total roughly four million packages.

Redwood Shores, Calif. – Join Oracle Retail VP of strategy Andrea Morgan-Vandome on Tuesday Jan. 6 at noon ET as she shares the new developments of 14.1 combined with functionality through the acquisition of Micros. In this interactive webinar, attendees will hear first-hand how Oracle is able to delve deeper into mission-critical initiatives and offer retail-rich functionality.  

Camp Hill, Penn. - Rite Aid is ringing in the New Year by offering members of its wellness+ loyalty program the opportunity to receive lifestyle and entertainment rewards for every $50 spent in stores on participating products through Jan. 24. To participate in a promotion Rite Aid is calling “Happy You Year,” members of the wellness+ loyalty program can look for the red "Buy & Earn" symbol on store shelves. 

Global retail shrinkage improved by 4.8% last year, thanks to strengthened loss prevention efforts and general economic improvements

Brawny paper towels are known for being tough, but now the brand is standing strong with wounded service members in need of help.

Georgia-Pacific, the maker of Brawny, announced it has raised $2 million for the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) following its third year of partnering together. WWP is a national organization dedicated to honoring and empowering wounded service members transitioning back to civilian life through unique, direct programs and services.

Pataskala, Ohio – Specialty apparel retailer Avenue Stores is turning its online customers into brand advocates by using ShopSocially’s referral marketing solution to generate referrals from its website users.    By encouraging users to connect with the Avenue brand on Facebook and share their purchases on social media, Avenue is driving word-of-mouth promotions resulting in a referral traffic that is converting at a rate as high as 28.48%.   

 

The market trend was detailed in a survey conducted by Johnson Controls Global WorkPlace Solutions in partnership with PeopleWise. According to the study, facilities management is the most outsourced service, with 82% of the respondents currently outsourcing some part of facilities management and real estate services.