Top Retailers

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."

NEW YORK — The investment groups of billionaires Warren Buffett and Jorge Paulo Lemann will buy H.J. Heinz for about $23 billion, according to published reports.

Bloomberg reported that Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and Lemann's 3G Capital would buy the condiment maker for $72.50 per share, and the deal includes $12 billion to $13 billion from Buffett's group. Heinz also owns the Ore-Ida potato chip brand.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Meijer plans to invest more than $160 million to build six new stores and remodel five in 2013, the mass merchandise retailer announced Wednesday.

The company said the new stores will be in Swartz Creek, Mich.; Detroit; Portage, Ind.; Warsaw, Ind.; Danville, Ill.; and Evergreen Park, Ill. The remodel projects include stores in Lansing, Taylor, Flint and Grand Rapids, Mich., and Springfield, Ill. The company currently operates 199 supercenters and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.

ITASCA, Ill. — Evander Holyfield, the only five-time world heavyweight champion, will greet Supervalu's Jewel-Osco customers and boxing fans during appearances at two of the retailer’s Chicago stores. Holyfield will be the special guest at free food sampling events on Feb. 16 and 17 that will be held as part of Jewel-Osco’s ongoing “A Taste of Black History” program, a month-long initiative that recognizes the retailer’s African-American vendor partners. 

NEW YORK — Safeway pharmacists will use a program developed by the University of California San Francisco School of Pharmacy to help people quit smoking, under a partnership with the supermarket operator announced by the university.

Safeway pharmacists will receive training in smoking-cessation counseling techniques developed by the UCSF pharmacy faculty, while stores will locate OTC nicotine-replacement therapies near pharmacy areas, giving customers convenient access to the pharmacist.

LONDON — Walgreens and Alliance Boots will generate $130 billion or more in combined sales, Greg Wasson, Walgreens president and CEO, told analysts Wednesday. Walgreens and Alliance Boots offered analysts a firsthand look at the Alliance Boots operation here, beginning with a store tour and then leading into presentations. 

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Shopkick, a shopping app, on Wednesday announced that Nielsen ranked Shopkick No. 34 out of approximately 1 million apps in December 2012. While still trailing giants like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter overall, Shopkick dominated the shopping category during the holiday season, with more frequent and prolonged usage than all physical retailers' own apps including Starbucks, Walmart, Walgreens, Kroger and Safeway, the app developer noted. 

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — I.D. Systems on Tuesday announced that Walgreens will be implementing I.D. Systems' PowerFleet wireless Vehicle Management System to help secure, track and manage high-value enterprise assets.