General Merchandise


Retailers, expecting thrifty behavior from consumers, are starting the back-to-school season with early promotions. “Retailers are already running door-buster promotions,” said Perry Smith, an analyst with the NPD Group. “The consumer has been holding out for last-minute shopping hoping for the best deals. In some cases, people are shopping after school starts.”


DALLAS — Kimberly-Clark is expanding its worldwide innovation capabilities with the establishment of a global innovation center that will be based in Bogota, Colombia.

The facility, which is the first of its kind in the region, will develop products using local and regional insights to meet broader consumer needs, Kimberly-Clark said. The facility joins the recently announced global innovation center in Seoul, Korea, along with North American facilities in Neenah, Wis., and Roswell, Ga.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Clorox on Wednesday commenced its annual Power A Bright Future grant program.

NEW YORK — Pet lovers want the best for their furry friends. Last year, Americans spent $55 billion on their pets, according to Packaged Facts, and the upward trend shows no signs of slowing.

One of the brightest spots in the pet category is natural and organic pet food. While Packaged Facts estimated that the market segment accounts for about 7% of pet food sales, the market research firm sees a huge upside to the segment.

SUNBURY, Pa. — After a popular Facebook contest made Brandi, a 7-year-old German shepherd mix, Weis Markets’ Pet of the Game at a Penn State football game in 2010, the company’s second annual Pet of the Game Facebook Contest returns to Weis Markets’ official Facebook fan page, the grocer announced Thursday.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Icahn Enterprises is continuing its pursuit of Clorox, despite the company's rejection of last month's takeover bid.

Icahn Enterprises' affiliate High River Limited Partnership said Friday that Icahn Enterprises is looking to replace Clorox's entire board of directors with 11 nominees, who will stand for election at Clorox's yet-to-be-announced annual stockholders meeting.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Reckitt Benckiser on Thursday unveiled Turbo RACER, a new free online game and a free mobile racing-game app available on iTunes, as part of the company's corporate awareness program. The game is designed to metaphorically underscore the essence of working at RB.

MINNEAPOLIS — Customers can save on back-to-school shopping by trading in used electronics and video games for store credit, Target said.

The mass merchandiser said it expanded its Electronics Trade-In service to 1,490 stores with Target Mobile centers, and also added new product categories. The chain offers the program under a partnership with consumer electronics upgrade and trade-in company NextWorth, giving customers credit in return. The service is accepting calculators, DVDs, video games, Nintendo DS units, cell phones, iPods and iPads.