Strategy

Radnor, Pa. – E-commerce platform provider FreedomPay has named Marc Pereira as VP of technology. Pereira joins FreedomPay after serving nearly 12 years in strategic executive roles at eEBay Enterprises.

Columbus, Ohio – Net income at Express Inc. fell 25% during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, dropping from $63.9 million to $47.9 million. Net sales declined 2% from $731.7 million, to $715.9 million.

Same-store sales rose 1%. The company cited heavy promotions as impacting its quarterly results, which did not meet Wall Street expectations. Express intends to start opening outlet stores beginning in May 2014.

Los Angeles — A Buffalo Wild Wings Franchisee has signed an agreement to open fast-casual PizzaRev restaurants throughout the St. Louis, Mo., and Austin, Texas, markets.

The PizzaPeel franchise group plans to open four PizzaRevs in Austin and three in St. Louis. The agreement also includes rights to develop both regions further.

The journey to South by Southwest (SXSW) begins long before the leading technology conference even begins. As first time attendees it quickly became apparent that winging it doesn’t work in Austin yet being open to possibilities is also essential essential.

Stepping of the plan we wondered if we had planned enough. Everyone looked like they knew where they were going and what they were doing and who they were doing it with. We were just trying to find our hotel!

Sequential Brands Group has appointed leading brand strategist Jameel Spencer as chief marketing officer, reporting directly to CEO Yehuda Shmidman.

Spencer will develop and lead all global marketing initiatives for the company's portfolio of consumer brands which include William Rast, People's Liberation, DVS, Heelys, Caribbean Joe, Ellen Tracy, Revo and The Franklin Mint.

E-commerce platform provider FreedomPay has appointed former eBay executive Marc Pereira as VP of technology.

Pereira most recently spent nearly 12 years at eBay Enterprises, serving in several strategic executive roles and has 20 years of e-commerce and technology experience. He will be responsible for overseeing, envisioning and maintaining the company's technology infrastructure, which covers both the development process and the network infrastructure management operations.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation (NRF) is urging Congress to pass legislation that would require online and remote sellers to collect state and local sales taxes, telling a House committee that lawmakers should level the playing field between local retailers and out-of-state competitors. David French, senior VP of the NRF, told the House Judiciary Committee in a letter that legislation is needed to end the sales tax disparity.

Thorofare, N.J. -- The ECR Shrinkage Group, an expert group focused on shrink, with the support of merchandise availability solutions supplier for the retail industry Checkpoint Systems, is launching an online benchmarking tool, which enables retailers to understand how well they are managing shrink compared to others and the relative strengths and opportunities of their loss-prevention program. The tool provides global benchmarks on the strategic, organizational and operational standards that underpin an effective shrink management strategy.