Center Store

MINNEAPOLIS — Target Corp. will renovate libraries at more than two dozen schools in need across the country this year under a program that will also include book donations and technology upgrades, as well as the option to have a Target-supported food pantry built, the mass merchandise retailer said Wednesday.

FORT WORTH, Texas — RadioShack Corp. has ended its mobile phone partnership with Target Corp. amid slumping sales, the electronics store chain said Tuesday.

RadioShack said it had stopped operating its Target Mobile centers before the end of last month. The company had operated mobile phone kiosks inside Target stores. The company posted first quarter 2013 quarter sales of $849 million and a loss of $43 million, compared with $913 million last year and a loss of $8 million.

According to research, ownership of smartphones and tablets in particular have grown rapidly over the past couple of years, and that has created a multi-headed omnichannel hydra of a customer who retailers across all channels are desperately trying to appease.

There's a lot to like about the As Seen On TV category. It has a sell-through rate between 10% and 20%. Margins also are in the double-digits. Best of all, the products that make it to retail shelves are proven winners.

"Our market model is very sound," said AJ Khubani, CEO of TeleBrands. "As a group of companies, we test market hundreds of products on television, then bring the top 10 to retail. Drug chains are only getting the products that are most successful. They are consumer-tested with a known demand and significant advertising support."

LANDOVER, Md. — Giant Food of Landover, Md., is one of several retailers promoting environmental awareness as part of Earth Day Monday, the Ahold USA-owned retailer said.

With the steady accumulation of purchasing power attributed to the Hispanic-American community, marketers more and more are targeting Latinos. Here's why: the Hispanic-American population numbers more than 54 million today, with a total buying power of $1 trillion — expected to reach $1.5 trillion in the next two years — and 1.8 million households generating incomes greater than $100,000. DSN called in Reny Diaz, director of client engagement for Nielsen, for additional perspective about the Hispanic-American opportunity.

While the recession has caused some pet lovers to cut back spending on toys and treats, when it comes to their pets' health, consumers aren't skimping. A recent Packaged Facts consumer survey shows that 43% of dog owners and 36% of cat owners purchase some type of specialty nutritional formula pet food or supplemental nutritional products. In 2012, sales totaled about $1.3 billion, according to Packaged Facts.

NEW YORK — Difrax is selling its brand of three-stage pacifiers in the United States, the company said.