Target

Wal-Mart Canada announced that it's entered into an agreement with Target Canada to assume the leasehold interests in up to 39 sites currently operated by Zellers Inc. Specific locations will be identified later this fall. Terms of this transaction weren't disclosed.

In this exclusive interview, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel shows it's almost full-speed-ahead for the chain, in contrast to the jitters for many other retailers. Steinhafel's presiding over the company's record number of remodeled locations this year (about 400), the opening of smaller urban stores, plans for an expansion into Canada and an overhaul of its website, which will soon operate independently of Amazon.

Workers at a Target store in suburban New York City voted against joining a union, bringing another defeat to organized labor in its attempts to penetrate the world of big retail. The vote was 137 to 85, as Target workers in Valley Stream, N.Y., declined to be represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

Ron Johnson, top retail executive for Apple, is leaving the company in order to fill the role vacated by Myron E. Ullman III, chief executive of J.C. Penney. The switch will occur on November 1, at which time Johnson will leave the company whose retail strategy he spearheaded.

I often check the clickthough rates of our daily e-newsletter of aggregated and orignal content, ROI Report, to gauge what our audience of cross-channel retailers are interested in and concerned about. Lately, the clickthrough rates for articles about hackers and scammers targeting retailers and shoppers are through the roof

Target is raising awareness for its new fresh food offerings by running mobile banner and audio ads across Pandora's platforms. Pandora offers popular mobile applications, with the audience skewing toward younger consumers. Target's mobile ad is targeting Pandora users who are not regular Target shoppers to try to encourage them to buy its new fresh food offerings.

Target plans to spend more than it had forecast this year on its entry into the Canadian market as it nails down more of the best retail locations sooner than expected. The retailer said it will be able to “clarify” within weeks the number and locations of the first 100 to 150 stores it will open in Canada.

Best Buy is expanding its 257-store Shopkick pilot to a nationwide endeavor. Patrons who have the mobile app open whenever they walk into one of the retailer's locations will earn reward points for items like gift cards, song downloads and flat-screen TVs.

Target Corp. is setting up three distribution centers in Canada in preparation for its debut north of the border, according to a report in The Globe and Mail. Although the retailer could have supplied the stores from its U.S. warehouses, it chose to set up a network specifically for its Canadian operations, the report said, with DCs planned for Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. Target is set to open as many as 150 stores in Canada by 2013, the first leg of its expansion into Canada after its $1.8 billion deal to buy Zellers stores from Hudson’s Bay Co.

Crate and Barrel will begin doling out kickbucks — Shopkick currency redeemable for rewards — and special offers to Shopkick users who visit any of its U.S. stores.