News

Target will open stores at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, an hour earlier than last year, and will keep them open until 11 p.m. Black Friday.

The company said it is making the change in response to competitive pressure and demand from shoppers.

Kathee Tesija, executive VP of merchandising at Target, told The Associated Press that she felt the 8 p.m. time was just right, based on the competitive landscape, and the sentiment among shoppers and its own store staff.

Wayne, N.J. -- Toys “R” Us will open its stores at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 28,  offering more than 300 doorbuster values, while supplies last, from four-hour deals and Thursday-through-Saturday discounts on hot toys, games and tablets, to gift with purchase offers. New this holiday season, Toys "R" Us will provide its Rewards “R” Us members the exclusive opportunity to take advantage of select Thanksgiving Weekend deals and discounts on Wednesday, Nov. 27.

Warrendale, Pa. – Rue21 has launched its e-commerce site, Rue21.com. Prices on the site will be the same as prices in the retailer’s stores.

In honor of the launch rue21 is hosting a "Shop & Win" contest in which five winners will receive a $50 gift card by talking about their favorite rue21 items on the internet. Using hashtag #shoprue21.com, fans can post pictures or comments on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google+.

Leading Internet grocer Peapod and supermarket chain Giant Food Stores have opened a new fulfillment center in Coopersburg, Pa.

"Peapod by Giant has seen exciting growth in the Philadelphia area and we are delighted to partner with our sister grocer, Peapod, to expand service to additional zip codes in the Giant trade area," said Rick Herring, president. "As always, we will strive to provide a wide selection of well-priced, top quality, fresh products with the ease of online shopping and home delivery."

New York – G-III Apparel Group is reportedly no longer considering a purchase of Jones Group. According to Women’s Wear Daily, G-III, which in October 2013 was said to be close to reaching a deal to buy Jones Group, decided purchasing the apparel retail conglomerate would require taking on too much debt.

The five year old Green Works brand from Clorox is facing new competition on the natural products front following the launch of Walmart’s Great Value Naturals cleaning products.

Walmart said the introduction of Great Value Naturals furthers its commitment to making eco-friendly products more accessible and affordable and will be available in more than 2,000 stores and online.

Clorox introduced its Green Works brand in early 2008 and the line was prominently featured in Walmart promotional vehicles at the time.

Deerfield, Ill. – Walgreen Co. has completed its acquisition of certain assets of Kerr Drug’s retail drugstores and specialty pharmacy business. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Acton, Mass. – Regional specialty gift retailer The Paper Store is leveraging the Epicor Retail SaaS solution, a hosted enterprise software suite that includes Epicor Retail Store, CRM, Merchandising, Sales Audit, and Loss Prevention applications.