Marketing

Snowed in and need a shovel? If you live near an Ace Hardware, you may be able to get that shovel delivered.

That’s because the retailer is rolling out its latest pilot program: Express Delivery. The program allows customers to find the products they need on acehardware.com and have them delivered by a helpful associate from their neighborhood Ace the same day.

Apple is reportedly planning an overhaul of its once ground-breaking retail stores.

When Apple first opened retail stores 13 years ago, it set out to change retailing in everything from the product displays to the wireless point-of-sale devices and its Genius Bar tech support. The approach was innovative and widely successful.

New York – A majority of business websites are not ready for prime time, at least when it comes to global commerce.

According to a new survey from multilingual search agency Oban Digital, while 67% of business executive respondents say that internationalization is a key part of their growth strategy, only 20% of businesses have all of their current online communications adapted for local culture or language, a key driver of sales success.

Rockford, Mich. -- Wolverine Worldwide posted fourth-quarter net income of $10.7 million, following a $1.7 million loss for the year-ago period. The company said it is increasing its brand-building investments in 2015, focusing on omnichannel initiatives and international expansion.

Leading branded footwear company Wolverine is eyeing 2015 as a year to focus on omnichannel and expansion.

The parent company of Stride-Rite, Merrell and other brands says it is poised to realign its resources to address a fundamental shift in consumer shopping behavior and allow for greater focus on important omnichannel initiatives.

Michaels is broadening is involvement with a global charity focused on improving the health of children and families.

Michaels and its subsidiary Aaron Brothers have supported Starlight since 2010. The expanded partnership will increase the company's involvement through a wide range of programs that include corporate contributions, in-store promotions, customer donation programs, associate-driven events and giving, vendor engagement, product donations and more.

New York -- Jonathan Ive, senior VP of design at Apple, is working on a redesign of Apple stores to make them feel more like a “natural” environment for the forthcoming Apple Watch, according to an article in The New Yorker.

“Ive has begun to work with (Angela) Ahrendts, Apple’s senior VP of retail, on a redesign-as yet unannounced-of the Apple Stores,” author Ian Parker writes in the article.

Mahwah, N.J. -- Ascena Retail Group is eliminating its fledgling boys brand, Brothers, as part of a strategic review of its Justice business. Ascena launched the Brothers brand about three years ago as a way to enter the tween boys market. The company created Brothers stores inside some of its Justice stores.

Operations related to the Brothers brand are expected to be fully wound down by the end of the company’s fiscal year.