Target

A Federal District Court in Washington, D.C. unsealed a case against retailers accused of transshipping Chinese-made pencils to avoid antidumping duties. The four named defendants are Staples, OfficeMax, Target and Industries for the Blind. The defendants are accused of transshipment of Chinese-made pencils through third countries such as Taiwan, Indonesia and Vietnam by U.S. importers. The importers would knowingly buy Chinese-made pencils in those countries and claim to U.S. Customs that they originated in those countries. If guilty, the defendants are subject to three times the loss of revenue to the government and a 10 percent duty for false country of origin marking.

Thanks to a new partnership with mega-retailer Target Corp., the Curiosity Shoppe is on track to blow up from a boutique gift store in San Francisco to a household name. Curiosity Shoppe owners Lauren Smith and Derek Fagerstrom will "curate a 60-plus-piece collection of entertaining accessories, stationery, kitchenware, games, crafts and curiosities" that beginning Sept. 9 Target will carry in its stores - all 1,700 of them. The Curiosity Shoppe is the second San Francisco retailer Target selected. The first is the Candy Store, a retailer selling old-fashioned sweets in vintage jars.

Target plans to open its first stand-alone athletic sportswear brick-and-mortar store under the C9 Active Apparel name. The 3,000 square-foot store will open in San Francisco and sell Target's exclusive C9 by Champion collection.

About 200 people who want companies to make it easier for people with minor criminal records to get jobs protested at the Minneapolis headquarters of Target Corp. on Wednesday. The protesters were with TakeAction Minnesota. They marched into Target's headquarters urging the retailer to lead the way on changing how companies screen prospective employees. 

Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart and Kohl’s are all celebrating a milestone 50th anniversary this year. It’s hard to believe that all four were founded in the same year, but combined these stores changed the way America shops. Happy birthday to modern retail!

RadioShack’s same-store sales and gross margin fell markedly in the first quarter, as the retailer put CFO Dorvin Lively in charge of its growing but currently unprofitable store-within-a-store relationship with Target.

Target Corp. will celebrate Earth Day by distributing 1.5 million reusable bags in all of its stores on April 22. In addition, Target will offer guests simple, sustainable solutions and more than $50 in savings on sustainable products throughout April in its stores and via a limited-time website. The retailer also will partner with Recyclebank, an organization that promotes sustainable decisions by allowing individuals to earn rewards for actions like recycling and reducing water use.

A spokesman for the Canadian Heritage Minister said that the government will conduct a review of Target’s store opening plans in the country to ensure its books, DVDs, music and other cultural products have enough Canadian content. The review, which comes as Target is laying the groundwork to open the first of 125 to 135 stores in former Zellers’ locations in 2013, falls under a “cultural heritage” provision in Canada’s foreign takeover law.

The retail industry continues to evolve at a fast pace into something where brick-and-mortar stores no longer stand independently of digital, mobile and social technologies. Store retailers are losing sales as consumers use mobile devices and social networks while they're physically in-store to seek advice, reference product information and online reviews, and, ultimately, purchase products online or even at another store. Online retailers like Amazon.com and Zappos.com are taking advantage of this trend to lure consumers away from more traditional retailers.

Amazon.com is the United States’ most relevant retailer, followed by Target, according to Brodeur Partners’ Retail Relevance Top 10 ranking. The study asked shoppers to look at 21 of the nation's top retailers and select the "most" and "least" personally relevant retailer in four specific areas: practicality, values, sensory appeal and social appeal. "These are four ingredients of relevance that you look for in everything, from a Google search to a product, candidate, cause or place to shop," said Andy Coville, CEO of Brodeur Partners, Boston.