Marketing

New York -- GameStop wants its employees to pursue a higher education.

New York -- As Costco Wholesale inches closer to opening its first location in France, the retailer may not find the country such an easy target by any measure, reported the Seattle Times.

In France, Costco will find itself on the doorstep of hypermarket giants Carrefour, Auchan and Casino, which run huge stores selling a dizzying assortment of food and other products, according to the report.

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Westmont, Ill. -- Tri-Land Properties said that it has named Paul R. Sevenich as VP of leasing. Sevenich brings 30-plus years’ experience in retail real estate development and redevelopment, acquisitions, retail center positioning, value enhanced leasing, merchandising strategies and financial analysis of the Midwest and the South. Some of the companies he has worked for include CSM Corporation, Kraus-Anderson, CBL & Associates and General Growth.

Indianapolis -- The calendar may read August, but Hhgregg is already looking to firm up its holiday hiring.

The appliance, electronics and furniture retailer announced it is hiring 550 full-time and part-time in-store sales associates. As the holiday shopping season continues to tiptoe earlier into the calendar year, Hhgregg said it is looking to have their stores fully staffed and associates trained and ready to greet shoppers getting a jump on the holiday rush.

Swedish furniture giant IKEA is always coming up with inventive and innovative products to appeal to its core shoppers, but this time the retailer is marking a first in the industry.

IKEA announced it will become the first major global retailer to offer a 100% LED light bulb assortment. In a bid to make its products more sustainable, the retailer will switch all of its available bulbs to LED bulbs by the end of September.

New York -- Chick-fil-A is set to open its largest location to date in one of the nation’s busiest cities.

The quick-serve restaurant chain will open its first freestanding location in New York City, at the corner of West 37th Street and 6th Avenue in the Garment District, on Oct. 3. The three-story, 5,000-sq.-ft. restaurant will be Chick-fil-A's largest in the country and will be independently owned and operated by local resident Oscar Fittipaldi.

As retailers feel pressured to raise wages for employees, GameStop is focusing on education by giving staffers an incentive to hit the books.

New York -- Local politicians and local New Yorkers differ in their views on Walmart.

Fifty-five percent of New York City residents want elected officials to let Walmart open a store within the five boroughs, according to a poll by Quinnipiac University.

The results are similar to a poll conducted by the university four years ago, when the retailer made a failed push to open in Brooklyn.