Content about Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS — General Mills on Thursday announced a voluntary recall of a single day’s production of its chocolate-flavored Fiber One 90-calorie chewy bars because of a labeling issue.

This voluntary recall includes only 5-count boxes of chocolate-flavored Fiber One 90-Calorie chewy bars with the following “better if used by” date printed on the top of the box: "19MAY2012BV."

MINNEAPOLIS  — Target announced that Steve Eastman, president of Target.com, left the retailer to pursue other opportunities. Eastman’s departure follows a late August relaunch of Target.com.

The relaunch process did not go smoothly as Target brought its online operations in-house after a lengthy relationship with Amazon.com. Target’s goal was to reinvent the online environment and create a user-friendly and reliable experience, but that proved not to be the case initially as critics panned the site design and there were difficulties with functionality.

MINNEAPOLIS — Airborne on Monday launched Airborne Chewable tablets, available in berry and citrus flavors, as an option for consumers "on-the-go."

One Airborne Chewable tablet provides as much vitamin C as in a three 8-oz. glasses of orange juice, the company said.

Airborne Chewables are sold in 32-count bottles at drug, grocery, club and mass merchants nationwide. The suggested retail price is $6.99. Airborne chewable tablets are free of caffeine, wheat, gluten and lactose, the company noted.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target is encouraging consumers having a tough time selecting a Halloween costume this year to let their friends decide.

The retailer has launched a Facebook application through which Facebook fans can create a poll via "Ask Your Friends: Halloween Edition." The app allows users to select up to four costumes to be voted on. Selections can be made for men, women, kids, infant and toddler, as well as pets.

MINNEAPOLIS — Novo Nordisk has expressed its support of new diabetes education programs created by four Minneapolis-based community organizations.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has announced new beauty exclusives that are hitting shelves for fall 2011.

Hair accessories brand Goody is bringing exclusively to Target in October its fall Regency collection, which features 32 pieces, including headbands, hairpins, clips and elastics. Prices range from $2.19 to $8.99.

Highlights of new offerings include:

• Ruched Flower Salon Clips ($5.99)

• Infinity Beaded Head Wrap ($6.99)

• Metal Flower Salon Clip ($6.99)

MINNEAPOLIS — Customers can save on back-to-school shopping by trading in used electronics and video games for store credit, Target said.

The mass merchandiser said it expanded its Electronics Trade-In service to 1,490 stores with Target Mobile centers, and also added new product categories. The chain offers the program under a partnership with consumer electronics upgrade and trade-in company NextWorth, giving customers credit in return. The service is accepting calculators, DVDs, video games, Nintendo DS units, cell phones, iPods and iPads.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target announced that 1,650 of its pharmacy locations, in addition to its clinics, are offering flu shots with no appointment necessary, effective Aug. 15.

Target pharmacists and clinicians at Target Clinic will administer flu shots during regular pharmacy and clinic hours — including evenings and weekends — for $25. This year's vaccine protects against seasonal flu, H1N1 and H3N2, another virus subtype that causes the flu, the company said.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — Generic drug maker Perrigo has closed its purchase of Paddock Labs, the company said Tuesday.

Perrigo acquired privately owned Paddock, a manufacturer of generic prescription and over-the-counter drugs based in Minneapolis, for $540 million.

“We are very pleased to welcome the Paddock team to the Perrigo family,” Perrigo chairman and CEO Joseph Papa said. “This acquisition is another important step forward in executing Perrigo’s strategy to expand our specialty portfolio of generic Rx products.”

MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu on Tuesday reported first-quarter fiscal 2012 net sales of $11.1 billion (down 3.7% versus last year) and net earnings of $74 million (up 10.4%), or 35 cents per diluted share. Posted net earnings beat the analyst consensus of 33 cents per diluted share.

MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu's group VP independent sales, marketing and merchandising is stepping into a new role at the company.

Leon Bergmann will become president of the retailer's independent business organization, Supervalu announced Thursday. Bergmann is replacing Mark Anderson, who is retiring this summer.

MINNEAPOLIS — Free Standing Insert coupon activity dropped 3.9% over the first six months of 2011 versus the same time period a year ago, Marx, a Kantar Media solution, reported on Wednesday. 

The decline is the first reported in the first half of the year since 2008, when there was a 3.4% decline. 

“After several years of significant growth, FSI coupon activity may be stabilizing while more integrated print and digital coupon promotion tactics are emerging,” stated Mark Nesbitt, president of Kantar Media Intelligence North America.