News

Credit card trends at Target hit a new high, or low, depending on one’s perspective. Either way, it’s a good thing.

Eight new healthcare clinics in Target stores are set to open in two new markets in July as part of the company’s most ambitious expansion of the healthcare initiative since it first began dabbling with clinics.

Four clinics at stores in the Northern Virginia towns of Fairfax, Falls Church, Gainesville and Leesburg are set to open on July 29, the same day as four new clinics in the North Carolina towns of Apex, Wake Forest and Durham, which will get two clinics.

Plenty of people shop Walmart’s stores for their groceries but go elsewhere to buy meat. Now the company is looking to convert a larger percentage of its more discriminating shoppers to purchasers of meat with a new quality-based initiative supported by an innovative shopper marketing strategy and a national ad campaign.

April same-store sales at Target increased 1.1% and helped the company achieve a 5.3% first-quarter comps increase that was the highest in six years. How much of the performance was due to record warm weather versus good execution of a solid strategy against the back drop of an improved economy is debatable.

MINNEAPOLIS — April same-store sales at Target increased 1.1% and helped the company achieve a 5.3% first-quarter comps increase that was the highest in six years. How much of the performance was due to record warm weather versus good execution of a solid strategy against the back drop of an improved economy is debatable.

Hasbro has partnered with teen retailer Aéropostale for an exclusive line featuring the Battleship and G.I. Joe brands.

The line will include men's graphic t-shirts featuring Battleship and G.I. Joe images ahead of the debuts of "Battleship" on May 18 and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" on June 29.

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — HumanKind Water, PlateTopper and SnapIt Eyeglass Repair Kit have the distinction of being the winners of Walmart's Get on the Shelf contest -- beating out more than 4,000 inventors, entrepreneurs and small businesses to claim the coveted prize of being carried at Walmart.com and in Walmart U.S. stores.

NEW YORK — Macy's Inc., Kohl’s, Saks and Costco’s Wholesale Corp. all reported results that fell short of expectations in April. An early Easter, which helped fuel March results, high gas prices, cool weather and renewed worries about the economy contributed to the decline, according to many analysts.

NEW YORK — Several apparel retailers, including Limited Brands, Zumiez and Ross Stores, posted better-than-expected sales in April. It was widely expected that an earlier Easter, which pushed demand into March, and cool weather would hurt sales.

Limited Brands, parent of Victoria’s Secret, reported a 7% rise in same-store sales for April, beating estimates.

NEW YORK — Best Buy’s chief marketing officer, Barry Judge, has resigned. His resignation follows the departure last month of chief executive Brian Dunn.

Judge is “leaving the company to explore the next chapter in his career,” Greg Hitt, a spokesman for Best Buy, said by e-mail, in a Bloomberg report.