General Merchandise

Omnichannel. It's one of the hottest topics in retail. It's seamless retailing in real-time. It's making sure that the brand experience coming out of a retailer is exemplary no matter how a consumer chooses to engage — on the e-commerce site, through an app for the tablet or smartphone, within the brick-and-mortar location or any two of those venues simultaneously.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jackery, a provider of premium rechargeable battery products for mobile devices, announced on Thursday the launch of the Jackery Bar and Jackery Mini batteries.

With 120 hours of extra operation time and a weight of only 5.4 oz., the Jackery Bar is the world's smallest power bank with 2.1A output operating at 5600 mAh. The bar is fast-charging, and ideal for users that need a powerful and compact mobile charging solution. It retails for $39.95 on Amazon.com.

CANDIAC, Quebec — Cascades has been named a finalist in the 2013 Edison Awards, the company said Monday.

The company said its antibacterial paper towels made the short list in the awards' "Consumer Packaged Goods: Cleaning Solutions" category. Award winners will be named on April 25 at the Edison Awards Annual Gala in Chicago.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A sticky situation just got stickier.

Elmer’s Products has introduced Elmer’s ProBond Advanced adhesive, which is being promoted as a multipurpose glue that’s as strong as a polyurethane competitor, but without the foamy mess.

NEW YORK — Jewelry maker Tiffany & Co. is suing Costco Wholesale, alleging that the club retailer falsely marketed diamond engagement rings as coming from the New York-based jeweler, according to published reports.

News media reported that Tiffany filed suit against Issaquah, Wash.-based Costco in the Federal District Court in Manhattan.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has a deal with pop music group Mindless Behavior to let fans write lyrics for the band, the mass merchandise retailer said Thursday.

The contest, called "Your Lyrics, Their Voices," gives fans the opportunity to write their own song lyrics for a verse of a special fan edition of the title track for the album "All Around the World."

CHICAGO — Shopper activity will continue to improve intermittently through the first half of 2013, according to ShopperTrak, the world's largest counter of retail foot traffic.

ShopperTrak estimates during the first quarter of 2013, national retail sales will increase 3.2% and retail foot traffic will increase 3.5%, when compared to the same period last year. The company estimates during the second quarter of 2013, national retail sales will increase 2.9%, though foot traffic will remain flat with a 0% change, when compared to the same period in 2012.

FAIRFAX, Va. — ThinkGeek's GeekLabs on Wednesday announced the launch of four votive candles scented to evoke special memories, from a pizza arcade to a high school locker room.

"You always see candles that take you on 'exotic journeys'," staid Ty Liotta, chief of GeekLabs. "We wanted to create something more accessible. Something that every geek will relate to."