Marketing

New York City -- Barnes & Noble said Tuesday that the FTC has granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, allowing investor Liberty Media to move forward with its stock purchase in the bookseller.

Barnes & Noble announced on Aug. 18 that Liberty Media invested an aggregate of $204 million in the company through the purchase of newly issued convertible preferred stock, totaling a 16.6% interest in Barnes and Noble.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club announced the launch of Simply Right Baby Care, which will be part of its Simply Right health and wellness brand.

The Simply Right Baby Care line will include premium diapers, premium wipes and infant formula.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target announced that it will retain the naming rights for the Target Center, which is home to the Minnesota Timberwolves, through a three-year extended agreement with AEG Facilities, which manages the stadium, and the Timberwolves. Under the new agreement, Target will have naming rights for the stadium through 2014. 

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. said Monday in a regulatory filing that it has allowed shopping center owner Vornado Realty Trust to increase its stake in the department store retailer, from 9.9% to 15.4%.

The move eases a poison-pill restriction that had prevented Vornado from previously buying additional J.C. Penney shares. It mirrors a deal struck with Penney’s largest shareholder William Ackman, who received the go-ahead to up his stake, held through his Pershing Square Capital Management hedge fund, from 16.5% to as much as 26.1%.

Lexington, Mass. -- Collective Brands’ Performance + Lifestyle Group, which owns Sperry Top-Sider, Keds and Stride Rite, has signed new distribution agreements with partners to ramp up international expansion in several markets, including Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Spain.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Same-store sales growth and a number of new store opening helped Autozone deliver another impressive quarter, while helping the company maintain its position as a leading automotive parts retailer for both everyday consumers and professionals.

Autozone reported net sales of $2.6 billion for its fourth quarter ended Aug. 27, an increase of 8.1% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. Domestic same-store sales increased 4.5% for the quarter.

Indianapolis -- Shopping center owner Simon Property Group said Tuesday that it has again been recognized by the Carbon Disclosure Project with inclusion in its Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index.

San Diego -- IBM on Tuesday at its Smarter Commerce Global Summit announced three new cloud and on-premise offerings designed to help organizations respond automatically to shifting consumer business trends.