Kohl's

Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony finally broke the news that they've partnered with Kohl's Department Stores to launch a contemporary lifestyle brand for the retail giant.

Same-store retail sales for October were up 1.7 percent, a smaller increase compared to the gains in September with 2.8 percent and 2.3 percent in October 2009, according to Kantar Retail's monthly report of 31 U.S. retailers.

The advent of new technologies has forever changed the way consumers shop. Today, consumers routinely research, purchase, ship and return products across all 
channels. They're using mobile devices, phones, websites, email, stores and catalogs in whichever combination is the most convenient for them.

NOW that Halloween is done, Madison Avenue is embarking on the mad dash to Dec. 25. The sluggish economy is raising the stakes for the Christmas shopping season. Some retailers and marketers, worried that uncertainty among shoppers might increase as the weeks go by, hope to pull demand forward by moving up the start of their pitches.

Kohl’s Department Stores was recognized Wednesday with its second Green Power Partner of the Year honor at the Green Power Leadership Awards held in Portland, Ore., as part of the annual Renewable Energy Markets Conference.

Kohl’s is expanding its solar program into Pennsylvania, it revealed last week as it activated its 100th solar array. On average, each project will comprise 1,400 panels and have the ability to provide nearly half of each store’s electricity supplies — the equivalent of enough power for 36 homes.

Same-store sales, excluding Walmart, saw a 3.2 percent gain in June, up from May's 2.7 percent increase, according to Retail Forward's monthly report for 31 retailers. Last month's increase also topped June 2009's 4.7 percent decline, evaluated without Walmart. "The June results are positive, but the recovery in retail sales will be challenged in the coming months as long as doubts grow among shoppers," says Frank Badillo, senior economist at Retail Forward. "And it's clear that the news from the Gulf to Europe is starting to affect the outlook among shoppers." Among the biggest gains: Nordstrom (14.1 percent), Zumiez (10.9

In-store kiosks are a place where brick-and-mortar retailing meets the internet. It's a new initiative for Kohl's, aimed at boosting sales in whatever channel works for the customer: in the store or online.

Kohl’s is scouting out locations in Canada in a preliminary look at bringing its mid-priced department stores to the country, industry sources say. U.S. retailers, grappling with economically fragile consumers at home, are increasingly turning to Canada for more fertile ground. Some of them, including Kohl’s, had counted on adding new stores in states such as California, Florida and Arizona but those markets were ravaged in the recession. Now clothier J. Crew, discounter Target Corp. and lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret are among U.S. merchants preparing to take the leap across the border.

Cross-channel retail integration can mean many different things to many different people. It can refer to integrating a brand across a variety of channels, such as retail store, website and catalog, for example, which Brent Niemuth discusses in "The Integrated Shopper," beginning on page 13. Niemuth explains that for consumers to really connect with a brand, they must have the same brand experience online, in-store or with its catalog.