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As part of its holiday campaign, JCPenney is giving shoppers a personalized QR code gift tag to attach to gifts purchased in stores in place of traditional hand-written tags. Starting on Black Friday, JCPenney will gift each shopper one free Santa Tag with their purchase. Customers can record voice messages up to one minute long on the "Santa Tags." Gift recipients can then scan the code with any QR code reader application on their smartphones to listen to the message. Other digital holiday initiatives the retailer is rolling out this holiday season include an online and Foursquare promotion with

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Corp. reported Thursday that profit for the quarter ended Oct. 29 rose 20% to $211 million, compared with $176 million in the year-ago period. The retailer cited cost cuts and strong demand for exclusive brands for the strong performance, which matched Wall Street expectations. “The launch of our Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony brands during the quarter met our aggressive sales plans,” said Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s president and CEO. “We expect our collection of powerful brands supported by significant marketing investments, especially in broadcast and digital media, to deliver a strong holiday season.” Revenue

Body Central reported that net income for the third quarter more than doubled to $2.8 million from $1.3 million a year earlier. Total revenue rose 18 percent to $67.1 million, compared with $56.9 million a year ago.

Dillard’s reported that profit for the quarter ended Oct. 29 soared a record 85 percent to $26.6 million, compared with $14.4 million in the year-ago period. Strong comps and contained expenses propelled the strong performance.

Toys 'R' Us will open its U.S. stores at 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving for Black Friday shoppers. The Toys 'R' Us Thanksgiving weekend circular will arrive in homes on Nov. 24, but the company has posted a preview of the offers on its

In the latest acquisition by its digital technology division, Wal-Mart has acquired Grabble, an Australian technology startup that's developed a smartphone-friendly point-of-sale app which allows retailers to send digital receipts to customers' mobile devices.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings announced that its Sears Outlet stores will honor competitor's Black Friday ads through Nov. 30. Customers may bring in a Black Friday ad they find online, and if Sears Outlet has the same item model, brand and color in the store, they will match the price at the time of purchase, even if it is before Black Friday. Full price match details are available at www.searsoutlet.com/holidaypricematch. "Sears is the leading retailer for washers, dryers and refrigerators in the country," said JJ Ethridge, VP and general manager for Sears Outlet. "Sears Outlet provides a

NEW YORK (Trefis) -- The technology world is changing rapidly, and this holds large implications for how business is done in the apparel industry. The popularity of tablet devices and smartphones has catapulted Internet and mobile sales to the top of apparel retailers' strategies. It's become particularly important for the teen apparel sector, which includes Aeropostale(ARO) IHL Group President Greg Buzek says, "A complete transformation of the customer experience will occur at clothing and department stores over the next three years." Below we look at how the apparel sector is getting influenced by technical advancements. See our full analyses

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s announced that it has named Eric Wiseman, president and CEO of apparel manufacturer VF Corp., to its board of directors. Wiseman will serve on the board’s compensation and governance committees. Wiseman has been CEO of VF Corp., whose brands include The North Face, Timberland, Vans and Wrangler, since January 2008. Before being named CEO, Wiseman served as president and chief operating officer from 2006 to 2007, responsible for VF’s global business and day-to-day operations. Wiseman holds a bachelor’s degree in business and an MBA from Wake Forest University. He serves on the board of directors

NEW YORK — Further proof that the sluggish economy is affecting higher-income households much less than lower-income households can be found in the quarterly profits of Dillard's and Nordstrom's, which both reported earnings this week. Dillard’s Inc. reported Friday that profit for the quarter ended Oct. 29 soared a record 85% to $26.6 million, compared with $14.4 million in the year-ago period. Strong comps and contained expenses propelled the strong performance. Revenue rose to $1.38 billion, from $1.34 billion, beating Wall Street’s expected $1.36 billion in sales. Same-store sales increased 5%. “This record-setting third quarter performance further solidifies our