Marketing

Panama City -- Starbucks Coffee Company has entered its 15th Latin America market.

The coffee giant — together with Premium Restaurants of America, its long-term strategic licensing partner in Central America — has opened its first store in Panama, making it Starbucks 15th market in Latin America and 67th worldwide.

Sears Canada has come up with an innovative way to appeal to back-to-school shoppers -- especially those parents who have kids who don't wear uniforms to school.

The retailer has launched the KidVantage Grow Out Guarantee, "created to take the stress and guesswork out of back-to-school shopping." The KidVantage Grow Out Guarantee promises that if your child grows out of an article of clothing purchased at Sears, you can exchange it for the next size up before the end of the current school year.

Off-price shop Stein Mart's strategy of just the right product, at just the right price, at just the right time seems to be working as the retailer reported another quarterly increase in same store sales.

Stein Mart Inc. reported rising total sales in the second quarter ended Aug. 1. Total sales for the quarter rose 4% to $311.6 million, from $298.1 million. Same store sales for the quarter rose 3%.

Henderson, Nev. -- Vestar recently completed a $120 million buyout from its joint venture partner, Rockwood Capital, to take full ownership and operations including property management, leasing and marketing of The District at Green Valley Ranch, a 37-acre, 384,107-sq.-ft. mixed-use center in Henderson, Nevada.  

Columbus, Ohio - L Brands Inc. continues its winning ways.

New York -- Kip Tindell, founder, chairman and CEO of The Container Store, will be inducted into the Retail Hall of Fame at the upcoming World Retail Congress, which will be held Sept. 8-10, in Rome, Italy. Tindell is also the current chairman of the National Retail Federation.

New York -- The retailer whose customers often call it the “Whole Foods for pets” is expanding in the Chicago area as it looks to leverage what has become a $58 billion industry.

Kriser's Natural Pet is bringing the natural pet movement to the west suburbs of Chicago with a grand opening in Naperville on Aug. 15-16. A second grand opening will take place in Northbrook on Aug. 29-30.

The CEO of Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. pledged to get the company back on track after a flooring scandal led to another decline in revenue for the company.