Marketing

New York -- Christopher Finazzo, former executive VP and chief merchandising officer for Aeropostale, has been sentenced to eight years in prison after being convicted of defrauding the company and taking more than $25 million in kickbacks from a key vendor.

Finazzo, who was found guilty in April 2013 of 14 counts of mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy, was also ordered to forfeit more than $25 million and pay the company $13.7 million in restitution.

New York -- Family Dollar said it favors a smaller deal with potential buyer Dollar Tree, and firmly rejected an offer for takeover by larger competitor Dollar General.

Following an $8.5 billion offer last week by Dollar Tree, Dollar General offered a $9 billion, all-cash deal.

York, Pa. -- The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. reported a loss of $36.2 million in the second quarter, narrowed from a loss of $37.3 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue edged up 1.1% to $563.5 million, compared with $557.1 million in the prior year period. Same-store sales increased 1.6%.

“We were pleased that we achieved comparable store sales growth, particularly given the challenging promotional environment and continuation of soft traffic trends,” said Brendan Hoffman, CEO.

New York -- McDonald's named Julia Vander Ploeg as its first VP of digital in the U.S., as part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen its digital presence, Ad Age reported.

Vander Ploeg will report to company’s chief digital officer, Atif Rafiq, who joined McDonald’s in October.
 

San Antonio -- CST Brands announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the convenience store assets, franchisor rights and associated trademarks of Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes.

Nice N Easy operates 77 corporate and franchise stores in Central New York. The company operations include thirty-three company operated stores along with forty-four franchise locations.

Sweetwater, Fla. -- Ikea will open its first store in the Miami-Dade region of Florida on Aug. 27.

Ikea Miami is the home furnishings company’s fourth store in Florida, 39th in the United States, and 361st worldwide. The 416,000-sq.-ft. Ikea Miami features the largest rooftop solar array in South Florida.

Salisbury, N.C. -- Delhaize America banner Food Lion has unveiled a new shopping experience for customers in 31 stores in the greater Wilmington, North Carolina, market, and has announced plans to remodel 45 stores in Greenville as part of the grocery’s "Easy, Fresh and Affordable…You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day" strategy.

Los Angeles — Juanita Tate Marketplace is now open, bringing 77,096 sq. ft. of outdoor retail space with a full-service grocery to the highly underserved surrounding community. Located at 944 East Slauson Avenue in South Los Angeles, the $21-million development is situated on a 6.5-acre site, which was formerly used as a scrap-metal plant.

Construction began in May 2013 and completed in April 2014. The center is owned by Regency Centers and was designed by Nadel.

Pittsburgh -- American Eagle's second-quarter net income was down 70% amid weak sales. But its results were better than analysts estimates.

For the period ended Aug. 2, American Eagle Outfitters Inc. earned $5.8 million, down from $19.6 million a year earlier.

Revenue decreased 2% to $710.6 million from $727.3 million, topping estimates of $689.5 million. Same-store sales fell 7%.