TARGET

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has tapped a McKinsey veteran to head up its innovation efforts.

The retailer appointed Minsok Pak as EVP, chief strategy and innovation officer. He replaces Casey Carl, who left the company in May.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target came roaring back in its second quarter from a year-long sales slump amid evidence that its investments in online and store remodels are paying off. The discounter raised its outlook for the year.

Sales rose 1.6% to $16.43 billion in the quarter ended July 29, beating analysts' estimates of $16.30 billion. Same-store sales rose 1.3%, also more than analysts had expected. Comparable digital sales surged 32%.

MINNEAPOLIS — The delivery wars continue to heat up.

A day after Target announced the acquisition of technology transportation company Grand Junction, the discounter said it has expanded the test of its next-day delivery service of household essentials, Target Restock, to the Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver markets. Target's announcement came the same day that Amazon launched Instant Pickup, which offers a curated selection of daily essentials available for pickup in two minutes or less.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target is bringing on talent from Walmart and General Mills to accelerate its food and beverage strategy.

Mark Kenny will join Target as VP divisional, meat and fresh prepared food where he will oversee the meat, seafood, deli, bakery and prepared food categories. Kenny joins Target from Walmart, where he most recently was the senior director of private brands, deli and bakery.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has acquired a transportation technology company and, in the process, gotten itself a VP technology.

Target announced Monday that it has agreed to acquire Grand Junction to improve and expand Target’s delivery capabilities and accelerate its investments and ongoing efforts to transform its supply chain. Upon the close of the deal, Rob Howard, Grand Junction’s founder and CEO, will become a VP technology at Target.

MINNEAPOLIS — Today, more than 75% of Target’s own brand kids’ snacks — from Simply Balanced fruit snacks and granola bars to Market Pantry fruit squeezers — are already free of artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners and colors, as well as artificial trans fats and high fructose corn syrup.

SAN FRANCISCO — Method will be debuting a limited-edition product collection that showcases the work of artists from Creative Growth, an Oakland, Calif.-based nonprofit art center serving adults with disabilities.

The collection features work from four artists paired with four new fragrances inspired by their work — palm garden, jasmine lily, cedar spice and vanilla sky — and will be available exclusively at Target through the end of the year.

ASPEN, Colo. — At Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech Conference here, Target CEO Brian Cornell sat down to discuss the company’s strategy to reach its consumers and where it sees itself in the retail landscape — touting the key role its store base plays in its business even as it builds up its digital infrastructure. He also emphasized the company’s connection with its shoppers — and noted a sizeable dip in shopping activity among Hispanic consumers in the United States in the past several months.