TARGET

MINNEAPOLIS — Kantar Media on Wednesday reported that overall retailer advertising expenditures increased 1.6% and retailer participation in Free Standing Insert coupon promotion pages increased 30.7% over calendar year 2011, versus the corresponding year-ago period. Additionally, digital coupon events increased 40.4% during this period across the leading retailer websites monitored by Kantar Media.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has donated $37,500 in monetary support and product to assist with tornado relief efforts underway in the central United States. The donation includes $25,000 cash for the American Red Cross to aid their efforts and an additional $12,500 that can be used either as cash or product donations to local organizations in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target reported a 7% same-store sales increase in February that shattered the company’s guidance for a 4% gain, thanks to unseasonably warm weather, which boosted shopper traffic and transaction sizes.

The sales increases was well above the company’s expectations, which prompted chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel to say, “We’re very pleased with the pace of our sales since the holiday season, though we continue to plan for a first quarter comparable-store sales increase of around 4%.”

MINNEAPOLIS — Target overcame modest fourth-quarter sales growth to report profits that exceeded its earnings guidance and also provided a better-than-expected outlook for 2012.

DAYTON, Ohio — While Walmart maintained the No. 1 position on Interbrand's "U.S. Most Valuable Retail Brands" list for 2012, several other retailers are moving up the ranks.

Although Walmart touts a value that's more than $139 billion, this year also marked a 2% decrease for the big box retailer, Interbrand said. Second on this year's list was Target, which holds a value of $23 billion, a 1% increase over last year.

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Walmart isn’t about to let the grass grow under its feet in Canada. The discounter plans to spend about $753 million this fiscal year to expand its store presence in Canada, before rival Target begins its push in the country.

NEW YORK — Burt’s Bees, a maker of natural personal care products, has developed a new collection, dubbed “Güd,” that is reimagined for the millennial generation.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target appears to have salvaged its fourth-quarter sales results with a 4.3% same-store sales increase in January to offset a disappointing 1.6% increase in December and a 1.8% increase in November.