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A report by the Arizona Daily Star on Thursday said that Minneapolis-based Target Corp. will close all 262 of its garden centers in September. "They are no longer a profitable business for Target and do not provide significant value for our guests," said Target spokeswoman Jenna Reck, according to the report.The report said that while the centers are closing, some of the products, such as garden tools, patio furniture and small bags of soil, will remain. All live plants and industrial-size bags of soil will be discontinued.

Von Maur, a family-run department store from Iowa, is stepping into the fast-fashion business. The 138-year-old merchant plans to unveil a concept store aimed at young women called Dry Goods.

Real estate firm Sholom & Zuckerbrot Realty said it has negotiated a pop-up store lease for a Toys “R” Us store in the Bedford- Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, N.Y.The 9,000-sq.-ft. space, formerly the home of Carver Federal Savings Bank, is located in the center of Bedford-Stuyvesant’s main shopping corridor.�

NEW YORK -- Limited Brands Inc. said Thursday that its July sales at stores open at least one year rose 12%. Analysts, on average, had expected same-store sales to rise 5.2%, according to Thomson Reuters. Net sales for the four weeks ended July 31 grew to $619.7 million, from $556.2 million in the same month last year. The Columbus, Oh., retailer now expects to post second-quarter earnings in the range of 34 cents to 36 cents a share, up from its previous forecast of 27 cents to 32 cents a share. Copyright © 2010 MarketWatch, Inc.

The U.S. Postal Service ended the third quarter of fiscal year 2010 (April 1 - June 30) with a net loss of $3.5 billion, compared with a net loss of $2.4 billion for the same quarter last year. Third-quarter mail volume totaled 40.9 billion pieces - down approximately 700 million pieces, or 1.7 percent, compared to a year ago. The USPS blamed much of the losses in the past few years to "an unprecedented decline in mail volume - down by more than 20 percent since 2007. The replacement of letter mail and business-transactions mail by electronic alternatives continues

Walgreen Co. said Thursday it has launched a newly designed website that emphasizes the drugstore retailer’s commitment to community, diversity, supplier diversity, disability inclusion and the environment. The new site showcases video clips about the company’s health and wellness programs. It also features new eco-friendly initiatives including efforts to reduce plastic bag usage, a cell phone and printer cartridge recycling program now at all store locations and a behind-the-scenes look at Walgreens participation in Earth Hour 2010 at New York’s Times Square.Additional programs featured on the site include the AARP/Walgreens Wellness Tour, expanded food centers in urban areas designated

Bebe Stores on Thursday said that Emilia Fabricant will become its new president. Her appointment takes effect on Monday, Aug. 9. The announcement came just two days after Fabricant announced her resignation as president of Destination Maternity, effective Aug. 3. Fabricant, who joined the Philadelphia-based company in May, said she was leaving for personal reasons, citing her desire to return to Southern California.Fabricant previously served as a senior VP at Barney's New York, CEO at Cadeau Maternity, and president and chief marketing officer at Charlotte Russe.

The designer-level racks at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores are expanding. Beginning this fall, the options for women looking for sizes 16 and 18 will include more high-fashion styles.

Walgreen's, Canadian Tire, J.C. Penney, Save-A-Lot, Sports Authority, Staples and True Value are among the brands incorporating the web version of their weekly newspaper circulars into their Facebook pages.

PetSmart announced Tuesday that it is making its Manhattan debut with the opening of two stores.The first store is scheduled to open Aug. 21 at the East River Plaza shopping center in Harlem, which is also home to Target's first Manhattan store. The second store, located in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood between Bleecker Street and West Houston Street, is scheduled to open in November.