Marketing

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears' Craftsman brand is using the upcoming Republican and Democratic National Conventions to show that two sides can come together.

The company has teamed up with Ty Pennington of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" fame, Sears Heroes at Home, Rebuilding Together, NextGen Home built by Champion and Bank of America to build two halves of one home -- one in Tampa, Fla. during the RNC and the other in Charlotte, N.C. during the DNC.

Indianapolis -- The Finish Line announced that Harvey Bierman has joined the company as VP digital technology.

Bierman comes to Finish Line after seven years with Demandware, where he most recently served as senior director, global strategic solutions.

“Harvey’s appointment is an important step toward driving long-term growth for Finish Line through aggressive expansion of our digital business,” said Chris Ladd, executive VP chief digital officer for Finish Line.
 

New York -- Koninklijke Ahold will open its first grocery store tailored to singles, in Germany, according to Bloomberg, which cited a report by Financial Times Deutschland.

The first store will open in the city of Aachen Sept. 12, with 11 more locations to follow in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia, the report said.
 

Teen apparel retailer Delia's has debuted a new prototype at Providence Place Mall, in Providence, R.I. The store has a stylish, youthful vibe that reflects its core customer. The design met objectives to increase floor and wall fixture capacity and reduce overall store size while maintaining brand identification.
 
Shremshock Architects & Engineers, Westerville, Ohio, provided design, purchasing and construction management for Delia's store redesign in collaboration with Asset Strategies Group, also based in Westerville, Ohio.

New York -- Tiffany & Co.'s net income in the second quarter rose 2 % to $91.8 million, up from $90 million last year. But the performance missed Wall Street's expectations and the jewelry company cut its full-year guidance, citing the tough global economy and weakness in key markets such as New York and Asia.

Atlanta -- Aaron's announced that R. Charles Loudemilk, Sr., chairman of the board of directors, will retire mid-September after founding and building Aaron's, which in now in its 57th year of operation.

Upon his retirement, Loudermilk will become chairman emeritus of the company.

Electrolux has upped its investment in innovation as it looks to stay at the forefront of the household appliance industry.

The company, best known for its Electrolux, Eureka and Frigidaire brands, said it would spend $6.3 million on a state-of-the-art research and development center at an existing refrigerator facility in Anderson, S.C., where the company had already committed to spending $45 million on upgrades. The facility opened in 1988.

BALDWYN, Miss. — Hancock Fabrics reported that net sales for the second quarter increased 5% to $60.5 million from $57.8 million for second quarter of last year, and comparable-store sales improved by 5%.

Earnings per share increased by 3 cents, or $0.6 million with a net loss of $3.3 million, or 17 cents per basic share, in the second quarter of fiscal 2012 compared to a net loss of $3.9 million, or 20 cents per basic share in the second quarter of fiscal 2011.

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar Stores has named Holly Shaskey-Platek to the position of SVP merchandising. She will lead the home, apparel and seasonal divisions and report to Paul White, EVP, chief merchandising officer.

MINNEAPOLIS — Nash Finch Company, a Minneapolis-based food distributor, has joined with Leevers Foods, a North Dakota based grocery operator,  to provide funding for resource rooms for the Devils Lake, ND School District and St. Joseph’s Elementary School. The resource rooms will be fully operational and available to students when school starts this year, and each room will be equipped with 10 iPads. The two companies are also establishing and an annual scholarship, The Leevers Family Scholarship Fund.