Consumer Affairs & Relations

New York -- Abercrombie & Fitch wants to turn the building that once housed the Beatles’ Apple Records into one of its namesake children’s stores, Bloomberg News reported.  

The building is where the famed singing group performed together for the last time, in 1969. The performance, which occurred on the roof, was filmed for the movie “Let It Be.” The Westminster borough council is due to vote on the proposal next week.

Toronto -- Most retailers in Canada are ready for a phase-out of one-cent coins, a national retailing trade group said Wednesday.

The Retail Council of Canada said the majority of the country's retail businesses were prepared for the disappearance of the penny and will follow the government's proposals for determining prices.

Washington -- Despite some groups’ claims, the National Retail Federation said that few, if any, merchants are expected to surcharge customers for using a credit card as theoretically allowed under a controversial proposed lawsuit settlement with Visa and MasterCard being debated in the courts.

 

St. Paul, Minn. -- Paster Enterprises announced Tuesday the hiring of Mike Sturdivant as a leasing agent for the company.

In his new role, Sturdivant will develop and launch marketing strategies for PE and prospective tenants. His duties will include working with existing tenants, being active in the brokerage community and researching industry trends.

Chicago -- Automation and mass production will continue to make life easier in the years ahead, but consumers and companies will react by valuing – and promoting – human services and artisan goods. That’s one of the key trends research firm Mintel predicts will be impacting consumer behavior in the next five to 10 years.

As part of its lunch of Mintel Futures, a new program designed to forecast long-term industry trends, Mintel identified six key trends affecting the global consumer market in the near future:

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — The Ikea Foundation, with the help of its customers and employees, have donated $12 million to UNICEF and Save the Children for projects that will help create opportunities for children to have access to a quality education.

New York City -- A report released Tuesday by The Conference Board showed that confidence among U.S. consumers fell in January to its lowest point since November 2011.

The Conference Board’s index decreased to 58.6, down from a revised 66.7 in December. The figure was lower than forecast; Bloomberg predicted a median of 64.

The drop in confidence coincides with the 2% payroll tax increase used to fund Social Security.

New York -- J.C. Penney will leave the Martha Stewart name off some of its upcoming décor and housewares lines despite the pair’s multi-million dollar partnership, according to a Tuesday report by the New York Post.

Citing unnamed sources, The Post said that while the Martha Stewart name will appear on window treatments, the brand will be mostly missing from key categories such as bedding, linens and kitchenware.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) added five industry executives to its board of directors during its semi-annual meeting on Jan. 28 in Los Angeles, Calif. Also as a part of the meeting, Walmart president and CEO Bill Simon was re-elected to the board. Executives joining the board are elected to serve two-year terms. 

Joining the RILA board of directors are:

New York -- J.C. Penney is changing course on its no-sales policy. It was just one year ago that the retailer, amid much fanfare, announced it was nearly eliminating sales events from its stores in favor of a three-tier pricing strategy and everyday low pricing. But on Monday the Associated Press reported that J.C. Penney is not only bringing back sales promotions to its stores, but will also add price tags or signs for approximately half of its merchandise that will show the "manufacturer's suggested retail price" next to J.C.