Target

Thus far, the dramatic makeover of J.C. Penney has hardly been smooth sailing. The overhaul, in which coupons and nonstop sales have been replaced with lower everyday prices, has resulted in confusion among consumers and months of subpar sales, as well as the recent ouster of a top executive. Nonetheless, J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson is sticking with the plan to revolutionize a tired old brand — and perhaps retail as a whole. Speaking at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference, Johnson, a retail superstar who spent years building up Target and the Apple Store, made one eye-opening comment after another.

Following in the footsteps of Target's and American Eagle's nationwide rollouts, Macy’s announced Wednesday it would begin offering shopkick rewards at its more than 800 stores. Using shopkick's app for iPhone or Android devices, shoppers can collect points, or "kicks," by visiting and performing certain tasks in Macy's stores. They can then exchange their kicks for Macy's-specific rewards like gift cards, as well as for more general rewards, including song downloads, restaurant certificates, movie tickets, Facebook Credits, charity donations, etc.

Frank Ocean's album may currently be the most buzzed about disc in music, but Target isn't interested. Billboard reports the discount retail giant announced it will not sell Channel Orange, claiming the decision was a reaction to iTunes' one-week exclusive.

In the wake of Gay Pride Month, a recent Wall Street Journal article took a look at how big department store chains like J.C. Penney, Target and Macy's are courting gay customers. According to the article, the brands — most of which have traditionally ignored gay culture in their advertising and marketing materials — are making efforts to cozy up to the demographic, as gay couples are increasingly settling down in suburbia.

One of the biggest threats to brick-and-mortar retailers is "showrooming," a practice whereby consumers walk into a store with a smartphone to look at merchandise and then — after making use of the expertise of the store's associates — ultimately make their purchases online from a competitor at a lower price. Retailers are increasingly battling back against showrooming by mimicking the practice — reverse showrooming, if you will. They're encouraging shoppers to whip out their smartphones right in store aisles, but to buy online from them.

A new survey finds that consumers rate Target, Safeway, Subway, Best Buy, J.C. Penney, Walgreens, Bank of America and Verizon Wireless as being the best retail and restaurant brands when it comes to using social media to communicate with customers.

As it watched its biggest competitor file for bankruptcy and cease operating, Barnes & Noble knew that a change to its business model was necessary for its survival. Specifically, that change meant shifting its focus to becoming a digital book seller. In his keynote address at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition in Chicago yesterday, William Lynch, CEO of Barnes & Noble, detailed how the bookstore chain has used the web to redefine and grow its business.

Two years after Target angered gay marriage supporters with a political donation that benefited a fiery gay marriage opponent seeking t

Target has joined the Shopkick program, making it the largest retailer to reward its guests for using the app via their smart phones. Target guests nationwide can earn points for shopping at Target that can be redeemed for a variety of rewards.

There are a steady stream of retailers from H&M to Levi's forging partnerships with outside brands and designers. Some of the most high profile collaborations have come from the aisles of Target, where the company has been partnering with designers since 1999.