News

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. is reaching out to fashionistas with a splashly — and digital-savvy — insert in the most important issue of the world’s most influential fashion magazine.

New York -- It’s been a rough week for department stores.

Kohl’s Corp. joined Macy’s and Dillard’s this week in reporting disappointing earnings and weak same-store sales growth.

Kohl’s posted a profit of $130 million in the second quarter ended Aug. 1, down from $232 million in the prior-year quarter.

New York -- Move over Apple and Google — and make way for Samsung.

Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday announced Samsung Pay, a mobile payment service that will let customers pay with their phones at nearly any credit-card terminal. The new system will launch in Korea on Aug. 20 and in the United States on Sept. 28.

New York -- A report suggests that U.S. consumers aren’t letting the summer doldrums or world unrest get in the way of shopping — although not all retailers are benefiting.

Retail sales rose 0.6% in July month, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. Excluding sales of automobiles, sales were up 0.4%. Eleven of 13 major categories showed increases.

The Commerce Department also revised June's 0.3% decline in retail sales to an unchanged reading.

Little Rock, Ark. -- Dillard’s Inc. profit declined 13.3% in the second quarter, but it still came in better than analysts had expected.

Growth in shoes and some apparel categories helped Dillard’s post a feeble second quarter same-store sale increase, but it was too little for the department store retailer to avoid the sharp decline in profitability. The retailer’s profit for the quarter ending Aug. 1 was $29.9 million, down from $34.5 million in the year-ago period.

New York -- A strong majority of Americans (72%) - crossing regional, political, generational, gender and income lines – believe the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is lower than it should be. However, while Americans clearly feel minimum wage should be higher, exactly how high remains a more contentious subject.

Kohl’s has joined other major retailers this week reporting disappointing earnings and anemic same store sales growth.

The Wisconsin-based retailer posted a profit of $130 million in the second quarter ended Aug. 1, below the $232 million in the prior-year quarter. Earnings per share were 66 cents, compared with $1.13 in the second quarter of 2014. Same store sales grew a measly 0.1%. Overall revenue increased by just 0.6%, to $4.27 billion for the quarter.

Kmart is taking a comedic approach to its back-to-school promotions this year with an eccentric ad campaign.

The retailer has rolled out an ad that touts back-to-school season not being about students, but about parents getting ready to get their free time back.

PayPal has revised its disclosure practices for material information in a way that could serve as a blueprint for retailers in the wake of a major insider trading bust that took down 32 hackers and brokers who allegedly reaped $100 million during a five year scheme to steal press releases.

When it comes to the rapidly changing retail landscape and how retailers should respond to engage shoppers, it turns out that it's not all about the app.

A new study by Forrester Consulting commissioned by RetailMeNot Inc. shows that while today's consumers overwhelmingly prefer to access the Internet on their mobile devices, only 30% use retailer applications to purchase products. In fact, 60% of consumers have two or fewer retailer apps on their phones, and 21% have none.