Target, Inc.

WASHINGTON - Retailers are spending millions of dollars on holiday advertisements this year, and consumers say that it's working. According to a survey conducted for the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) by BIGresearch, the top three holiday television advertisements this year come from Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy.

NEW YORK -- Private equity firm Bear Stearns Merchant Banking (BSMB) here, owner of Bethesda, Md.-based upscale grocer Balducci's, said yesterday that it has hired a new operating partner, Richard L. Markee, a retail industry veteran with over 30 years of experience.