News

New York -- A survey released Monday is in line with other reports that consumers do not plan to spend more this year on back-to-school supplies than they did last year. The survey also lists the 10 most popular retail brands for back-to-school purchases.

Target ranks as the most popular retail brand for back-to-school purchases, just ahead of Walmart, in the 21st annual Back-to-School survey by Brand Keys, the New York-based brand loyalty and emotional engagement research consultancy. Macy’s, CVS and Best Buy round out the top five.

The calendar may only say July, but retailers are already promoting back-to-school.  

Here are four promotional trends the folks at Market Track predict will play out this selling season:

• Retailers/e-retailers creating new mid-year “Black Friday” type events concurrent with Back to School. (e.g., Amazon's Prime Day, Target’s Black Friday in July, etc.)

Growth prospects for the food and consumables business at 99 Cents Only just improved considerably following the appointment of a former Walmart EVP of merchandising to a key role.

A month after the launch of the Apple watch, Best Buy will become the first national retailer to stock the new wearable.

The watch will be available in more than 100 Best Buy stores and on BestBuy.com. By the time holiday season arrives, an additional 200 stores will feature the watch.

“The Apple Watch is a big addition to our stores and website, and we know our customers want it,” said Jason Bonfig, senior category officer at Best Buy. “We are excited to bring the Apple Watch to more consumers, especially with the holidays coming up.”

Barnes & Noble's Get Pop-Cultured campaign is getting a dose of medicine from Dr. Seuss ths month.

Toys"R"Us is supporting the Special Olympics in Los Angeles this year in a new and innovative way.

The retailer is deploying employee volunteers to encourage and cheer on the littlest athletes, as they reach personal victories in a variety of sporting activities. Toys"R"Us has a longstanding commitment to the Special Olympics, and as a Games Level sponsor of the 2015 World Games, is able to help the organization's efforts to bring the benefit of sports to children and adults of all abilities.

Bronto Software has released the 2015 version of its popular Holiday Resource Center to help retailers optimize marketing strategies and drive sale growth.

Nordstrom and J. Crew Group are expanding a merchandising partnership.

As more shoppers increasingly shop online for a wider array of items, there's a new player in the online grocery delivery game.

Birmingham-based Shipt.com is looking to get a piece of the grocery delivery pie in cities not already served by Instacart, Deliv or other services. Shipt announced this week that it will begin grocery delivery from Publix in the Tampa Bay area in August.

Office Depot Inc. is thinking teachers first with an omnichannel component at the core of its back-to-school promotion.