TARGET

MINNEAPOLIS — rThe price wars among the nation's leading retailers has taken a new turn just ahead of the critical holiday selling season.

On Friday, Target revealed in a blog post on its website that it had lowered prices on "thousands" of items, from cereal and paper towels to baby formula, razors, bath tissue and more. The discounter said the move would help end shoppers' uncertainty over the timing of discounts on certain products, and make for "more consistent savings."

Having killed 13 people, destroyed nearly every building on the island of Barbuda and left nearly 1 million Puerto Rico residents without power as it made its way through the Caribbean, Hurricane Irma is bearing down on Florida, and the retail pharmacy, grocery and mass merchandiser community is working to make sure Floridians are prepared.

HOUSTON — One week following Hurricane Harvey, the Gulf region where that powerful storm made landfall is beginning to put the pieces back together. For example, Walmart, among other retailers have reported the reopening of all stores with the exception of a handful of locations impacted by flooding.

COSTA MESA, Calif. — The U.S. pharmacy industry, perennially one of the highest-scoring industries measured by J.D. Power, experienced notable declines in overall customer satisfaction this year, the research firm reported Tuesday. According to the J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Pharmacy Study, decreases in satisfaction with both brick-and-mortar and mail order pharmacies were driven primarily by declines in satisfaction with cost.

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.