News

Bentonville, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores said Monday that a recent poll of consumers voted Walmart the No. 1 preferred gift card that consumers most want for Christmas.

The poll, Top 20 Gift Cards of 2010, was conducted by GiftCardRescue.com.

Walmart also announced that Walmart.com will offer free shipping to home on nearly 60,000 items through 11:30 p.m. PST on Monday. The retailer has also extended the order cut-off date for its site-to-store service from Dec. 17 last year to Dec. 20 this holiday season.

San Diego - Internet presence management firm Red Door Interactive said Monday that Quiksilver has selected it to help launch its new line of girls’ apparel and accessories.

According to Red Door, the fashion and action sports brand will implement an internet presence strategy, developed and executed by Red Door, designed to drive awareness and traffic to Quiksilver’s flagship stores and niche retailers by individuals who will engage with the brand.

The time to ponder that question is when everything is going right, which pretty much seems to be the case at Target these days. The company’s stable senior leadership team has articulated a clear strategy that is being well-executed and delivering expectation-exceeding results such as a 5.5% gain in November same-store sales and third quarter earnings per share that surged 28.5% to 74 cents.

New York City -- Confidence is up according to The Conference Board, whose leading economic index (LEI) for the United States increased 1.1% in November to 112.4, following a 0.4% increase in October, and a 0.6% increase in September.

SADDLE BROOK, N.J. - Rug manufacturer Nourison has named Sabrina Roberts has been director of national accounts. Roberts will be responsible for the opening and development of key national accounts at Nourison, as well as assist in expanding business with existing national retail accounts. 

Roberts was most recently with JCPenney, where she helped grow the company's home division online and served as senior buyer for its area and accent rug division. 

Some are entrepreneurs who built their companies from the ground up, turning one idea into a billion-dollar global empire. Some came up through the ranks, earning the trust and admiration of those around them with each passing year. And still others came in later — hired guns — bringing with them an expertise and skill set that sets them apart. All are alike in their ability to create new opportunities and take their businesses to the next level — no easy feat in today’s marketplace.

Walmart has been a non-player in toys this year, according to Eric Johnson, director of the Center for Digital Strategies at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. He was quoted in a Bloomberg article this week about how Walmart increased toy prices after Thanksgiving weekend. Johnson is regarded as something of a toy expert, so he pops up in holiday stories and he has been critical of Walmart this year.

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Friday that it applauds the final passage of a bipartisan agreement for extending critical individual and business taxes.