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As summer is usually a slow period for Ikea in Belgium, the retailer asked advertising agency Forsman & Bodenfors to come up with an interactive campaign highlighting its summer offers and the Swedish tradition of Midsummer’s Eve. The interactive YouTube game called Catch the Swedish Light was made up of 48 different ads featuring Ikea products.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Ross Stores Inc. reported Thursday its third straight quarter of profits, as net income rose 18.6% to $144 million, from $121.4 million a year earlier. Results met Wall Street expectations. “Operating our business on lower in-store inventories is driving faster turns and lower markdowns, which continues to benefit profit margins,” noted Michael Balmuth, CEO. Revenue rose 9.2% to $2.05 billion, beating analysts’ predicted $2.03 billion in revenue. Looking ahead, Balmuth said, "As we enter the fourth quarter, we remain favorably positioned as a value retailer and our stores are stocked with terrific assortments of branded

British retailer Tesco is launching an ambitious augmented reality program today that will let consumers see 3-D images of more than 40 products online. Consumers have to use a “marker” like a Tesco catalog or club card to activate the augmented reality.

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According to a preliminary Black Friday shopping survey, conducted for the National Retail Federation (NRF) by BIGresearch, up to 152 million people plan to shop Black Friday weekend (Friday, Nov. 25, Saturday, Nov. 26 and Sunday, Nov. 27), higher than the 138 million people who planned to do so in 2010. According to the survey, 74 million people said they will definitely hit the stores, and another 77 million are waiting to see if the bargains are worth braving the cold and the crowds. Half of the shoppers surveyed (50.5 percent) said they will keep up with advertising circulars

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Zappos founder Nick Swinmurn launched RNKD.com, an online platform and mobile application offering users a chance to earn discounts and deals from vendors based on items they already own. "Every consumer has favorite brands and stores they are loyal to, but most have never been recognized or rewarded for their purchases," said Swinmurn.

Cabelas is luring Black Friday shoppers with gifts, presenting select items to the first 800 shoppers in line at each of its U.S. retail stores. Shoppers will have the chance to take home either a Browning A-Bolt Medallion .300 WSM rifle with a Cabelas 50th Anniversary gun case, a Cabelas camouflage hooded sweatshirt or a Cabelas gift card valued up to $100.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings remains positive about its future despite reporting a wider loss for the third quarter and comps declines across its retail segments. The company reported a net loss of $421 million, or $3.95 per diluted share, for the third quarter of 2011, compared with a net loss of $218 million, or $1.98 loss per diluted share, in 2010. Comparable-store sales at Sears' U.S. stores were down 0.7%. According to the company, the decrease in sales at Sears domestic for the quarter was due to poor performance in appliances and consumer electronics. Kmart comps dropped

Led by discretionary purchases, October retail sales saw impressive growth across the board, an encouraging sign for retailers as the holiday season gets underway. According to the National Retail Federation, retail sales increased 0.7 percent from September and 4.7 percent over last October.