Target, Inc.

With several development projects across the country stalled or delayed until the economy turns a corner, a Pennsylvania retail development dubbed Exeter Commons is bucking the trend, with 94 percent of its space pre-leased as a late-summer opening approaches.

While big-box retailers BJ’s and Costco had a tough time in April as net and comparable-store sales tumbled during a time of economic recession and plummeting gasoline sales, Target managed to stem its recent sales declines and Wal-Mart actually saw higher sales during the month, driven by increased traffic and a strong showing in seasonal and discretionary items.

2,000 Food Bloggers Flock to Foodbuzz, Fueling 1000% Annual Growth and Creating the Third Largest Online Food Property

The battle for control of Target Corp.’s board of directors continued yesterday when one of Pershing Square Capital Management’s rival slate of board nominees, Prof. Ronald J. Gilson, in a letter filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, referred to possible future SEC changes to the federal proxy rules and proposed the use of a universal proxy card by Target and Pershing Square, which is Target’s third-largest investor.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Foundation awarded $240,000 in scholarships to pharmacy schools nationwide at the 2009 NACDS Annual Meeting in Palm Beach, Fla., earlier this week.

Shoppers found Wegmans and Trader Joe’s supermarkets among the most satisfying chains to shop at, according to Consumer Reports’ latest survey of the best national and regional grocery chains.

Despite the dicey economy and an Easter that fell late in the year, March wasn’t all bad news for big-box retailers. Some modest increases in net and comparable-store sales were logged during the month. Still, results were rather uneven, although in line with most companies’ expectations.

In the wake of activist hedge fund manager William Ackman of Pershing Square Capital Management’s plan to nominate five new candidates to serve as members of a 13-member board of directors at Target Corp., the Minneapolis-based retailer has issued a statement confirming that its 12-member board slate is the correct size.