Retail briefs

Target Stores is still forging designer deals. The latest: a new partnership with designer Amy Coe for a line of baby bedding, blankets and nursery home accents. Scheduled to be available at all Target stores in January. The mix-and-match collection will offer bumper pads, sheets and duvets in complementary circus-themed print, floral, plaid dot and diamond prints. Home accessories for the collection will include lamps with fabric shades, wallpaper borders, chenille blankets, diaper bags and a stuffed elephant toy. Prices will range from $3.99 to $39.99.

In other company news, the retailer has secured a new location in another of New York's outer boroughs, announcing it will open a unit in the Riverdale section of the Bronx in March 2004, its first store in the borough. The 156,000-square foot location, on the Major Deegan Expressway at 225th Street, will be a part of the 20-acre River Plaza retail development.

The Home Depot announced two executive appointments today as part of an organizational realignment. Joe Izganics has been named president of the Services unit, which oversees in-home and commercial installation services. A 13-year Home Depot veteran, he was most recently division president for the Southwest. Home Depot is merging its Midwest and Southwest divisions and has named Bill Patterson president of the new Central division. Patterson, who joined the company in 1999, will continue to oversee the Mexico division, which is managed by division president Ricardo Saldivar. Patterson's 30-year retail career includes posts as president and ceo of Sears Roebuck of Mexico and president/ceo of HomeBase.

The Home Depot has also launched a year-long upgrade of its front-end check-out systems that will include installation of the company's first self-checkout stations. The new initiative — FAST (front-end accuracy and service transformation) — is being done in partnership with NCR Corp. and Microsoft, the retailer said. Four self-checkout stations will be installed in 300 high-volume stores this year and another 500 next year.

Blair Corp., a multi-channel direct marketer located in Warren, PA, celebrated 75 years of public trading on the American Stock Exchange by having John Zawacki, president and ceo, Blair, ring in the bell to open the day's trading on Dec. 5. He was joined by actress Jane Seymour, who has had her own woman's apparel collection with the company for a year. Blair, whose catalogs include Blair Home, is the second oldest company to be listed among the 575 currently on the exchange.