Retail Reporter | Retail

Nicole Norfleet covers the fast-paced retail scene including industry giants Target and Best Buy. She previously covered commercial real estate and professional services.

Norfleet joined the Star Tribune's business team in the winter of 2015 after working as the St. Paul public safety reporter and holding various other metro assignments. She is originally from the East Coast, but now calls the East Side of St. Paul home. Norfleet and her partner Liz have one tabby son named Max and enjoy craft beer, Korean dramas and camping with family. She is a proud graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.


'It's a wild and delightful world': Minnesota's board game industry sees no slowdown in sight

Local game publishers like Leder Games, Atlas Games and Asmodee's Fantasy Flight Games continue to develop new titles as novice developers find success on Kickstarter.


Best Buy introduces 'spokeshologram' and a hint of magenta in new branding campaign

The electronics retailer's goal was to signal its place in the new era of AI.


Retailers cut prices in 'summer of savings,' but consumers need to shop smart for best deals

Target, Walmart, Aldi and many other major retailers are responding to consumers' continued price sensitivity.


Target joins Aldi, Whole Foods as stores no longer taking checks

The Minneapolis retailer will stop accepting personal checks as a payment method later this month. Checks makes up "extremely low volumes" of Target's payments, per the retailer.


Deals are back for Minnesota car shoppers, but business is still sluggish

Interest rates, sticky inflation and the election have people thinking twice about buying vehicles now.


Target makes C-suite changes to support 'profitable growth over the long term'

Christina Hennington, Rick Gomez both receive promotions as the Minneapolis-based retailer tries to move toward sales growth.


I was scammed. Here's how you can avoid what I went through.

Xfinity, Best Buy and its Geek Squad at top of federal list of companies most impersonated.


Best Buy already receives bump from this week's Copilot+ PCs launch

Best Buy's stock price hits 52-week high as it begins to sell Microsoft's AI-enhanced computers.


Target store employees' new helper? A generative AI chatbot to answer their questions

Now in the testing phase, when Store Companion is rolled out chainwide in August, Target will be the first major retailer to employ a generative AI tool widely.


The new answer for empty Twin Cities stores? Asian grocers and market destinations

As ethnic supermarkets continue to grow in the United States, local Asian stores enhance their offerings.