"Target learns a second language as it expands to Quebec" by Thomas Lee at Star-Tribune.  "This month, Target Corp. will officially open its stores in Canada, its first reach beyond the United States. But if the Minneapolis-based retailer wants to truly master the art of operating in a foreign country, the province of Quebec offers the best chance to do so. Unlike the rest of Canada, French trumps English in Quebec, a reflection of the province’s deep attachment to its Quebecois culture and history."  Read more:  https://www.startribune.com/business/201720981.html   "Investing in Africa - The hottest frontier" by Harare and Johannesberg [...]

  "Wal-Mart: Good For America?" at Seeking Alpha.  "A study done by Ken Stone and Georgeanne Artz called "Impact of The Wal-Mart Phenomenon on Rural Communities" compared small towns in Iowa with and without Wal-Marts to see if there was a significant impact on the economy. The study looked at 34 small towns in Iowa with a population of 5,000 to 40,000 that had Wal-Marts for at least 10 years compared with 15 small towns that did not have Wal-Marts to see what the difference was. The results showed that a Wal-Mart moving into a small town did not automatically [...]

  "The Home Depot's Spring Black Friday" at El Editor.  "The Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement retailer, today announced it will implement its fourth annual Spring Black Friday event, a weekend of regional savings on hundreds of items to improve the home in preparation for spring starting April 4, 2013."  Read more:  https://www.eleditor.com/noticiashispanicprwire/23987/spring-black-friday-marks-the-start-of-home-improvements-busiest-shopping-season   "What a Discount Retailer Could Teach Apple" by Suzanne McGee at Fiscal Times.  "Dollar General is well aware of what kind of company it is, its target audience and how to serve them better: its version of innovation, for instance, is to add tobacco [...]

    "Wal-Mart's Path to Power in India Hits Its Limits: The Lawyers" by Megha Bahree at WSJ.  "Today, Wal-Mart's advance on India is barely moving.  The company opened just five wholesale stores in the country last year—well below the 22 planned. This year, Wal-Mart plans to open eight locations, a person familiar with the company's plans said.  Part of the reason lies in what people in the industry say is India's labyrinthine process for developing commercial real estate and operating stores. But one of the biggest reasons has been a compliance crackdown at Wal-Mart."  Read more:  https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324373204578373830411211410.html   "Walgreens [...]

  "Target Sets Sights on Thrifty Canadians" by Mark Hamstra at Supermarket News.  "In Canada, thrift is not a virtue that businesses may or may not choose to embrace — it is often ingrained as a core value.  To be fair, Canada’s economy was weaker then than it is now, imposing a tight-fisted mentality upon both consumers and merchants. But I have since learned that value and thrift are still generally more important and pervasive qualities in Canada than they are in the U.S...Those will both be formidable obstacles for Minneapolis-based Target Corp. to overcome as it seeks to export [...]

  "Will Dollar Stores Rule the Retail World?" by Christopher Matthews at Time.   "It’s difficult to see dollar stores maintaining their current growth rates for much longer. Walmart recently announced a plan to ramp up its efforts to build smaller Neighborhood Market outlets, which will be on average about one-third the size of its traditional supercenters. These stores will be better positioned to attract customers in urban centers where Walmart has lagged the competition."  Read more: https://business.time.com/2013/04/01/will-dollar-stores-rule-the-retail-world/#ixzz2PDTqL2Iv   "Walmart Express in Stedman (NC) doing well, plans for Eastover store moving forward" by Michael Futch at Faye Observer.  ""We have built [...]