News

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s reported sales of $14.5 billion in the second quarter ended July 29, up 1.3% from the same period a year ago.

Comparable-store sales increased 0.3% in the second quarter. The company posted earnings for the quarter of $830 million, down just slightly from $832 million in the same quarter last year.

NEW YORK — Barneys New York, announced that it has partnered with Lady Gaga for its 2011 holiday campaign.

According to a company press release, Barneys will convert an entire floor of its Madison Avenue flagship in New York City into a dedicated space for the holiday initiative.  Starting in mid-November, "Gaga's Workshop" will be brought to life throughout the fifth floor of the Men's Store at the Madison Avenue flagship, and will also be supported in the store's iconic Madison Avenue windows, the company reported.

IRVING, Texas  — Michaels Stores and procurement management firm announced on Friday a five-year agreement under which LogicSource will provide print procurement and related services to Michaels.

More than $250 million of print and promotional spend will be covered over the life of the contract.

Prior to beginning the relationship, LogicSource conducted a strategic analysis of Michaels’s print production ecosystem, from creative through to distribution, and developed a program designed for cost savings and operational enhancements.

LONDON — Real customers from Walmart's Asda division will be a part of Dove's billboard advertising campaign. 

Ten models were chosen as the winners of a competition that ran through Asda earlier this year. Winners were treated to a makeover, colour consultation and professional hair styling before they stepped in front of the camera. George, Asda's clothing division, provided the attire for the shoot. 

SUNBURY, Pa. — The Professional Recyclers of Pennsylvania recently recognized Weis Markets for its commitment to recycling and its innovative program to recycle waxed cardboard used to ship and store fresh vegetables and meats, the grocer announced Monday.

In 2010, Weis Markets teamed up with Envirolog to recycle its waxed cardboard and produce Envirolog fireplace logs, which are sold in Weis Markets stores.  Typically, supermarkets send most of their waxed cardboard to landfills since it is difficult to recycle.

CHICAGO — The first CityTarget in downtown Chicago won’t open until next summer and already the store is assured of healthy lunch and dinner time traffic thanks to the addition of a Pret A Manger restaurant.

 For those who don’t speak French, Pret A Manger means “ready to eat,” and serves as a reference to the restaurant’s offering of such fresh and preservative free food as sandwiches, soups, salads and coffee. Regulars refer to the restaurant simply as Pret.

Target is set to report second quarter earnings Wednesday morning, and let’s just say it would be a surprise if there were any surprises. The company is pretty thorough when it comes to managing investor expectations and provides commentary regarding whether analysts’ estimates are too high or too low.

That was the case at the end of the first quarter when the company indicated the then consensus estimate of $1 a share for the second quarter was too high, or as CFO Doug Scovanner indicated “above the midpoint of a reasonable range of likely outcomes.”

RESTON, Va. — About 6.2% of 14 million mobile phone users have scanned a quick response or bar code on their mobile device, according to a new ComScore survey.

Among 14,452 users surveyed during the month of June that have scanned a QR or bar code, 58% of them scanned a code at home, while 39.4% and 24.5% of respondents have scanned codes at a retail store or grocery store, respectively. As far as what they scanned, 49.4% said they scanned a QR or bar code found in a newspaper or magazine, while 35.3% scanned product packaging.

Target has a lot of things going right for it right now with some decent sales momentum and a mix of current and long term initiatives to drive growth. Even so, Target is in the same boat as other retailers who are posting solid profits, but doing so in an uncertain economic climate where fragile consumer confidence makes it hard to get to aggressive when it comes to forecasting future performance.

LOS ANGELES — Kroger banners Ralphs and Food 4 Less have both announced fundraising campaigns to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliates in California. 

Customers and associates at both stores can support their local Susan G. Komen for the Cure affiliate by donating their spare change in collection canisters located at the checkstands in their neighborhood Ralphs of Food 4 Less Supermarket.The Komen fundraising camSupaign will run through Nov. 5, 2011.