Strategy

A new relationship with Citi Retail Services gives OfficeMax another benefit to tout when serving small business customers.

The retailer worked with Citi to launch the new store-branded credit card tied to the OfficeMax MaxPerk Rewards program which allows customers to receive a $25 reward for every $500 spent on qualified purchases. In addition, the no-annual fee product provides special financing offers, flexible payment options a dedicated line of credit for business expenses and detailed tracking of purchases.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation on Wednesday urged President Obama and Congress to come up with a plan to avoid the “fiscal cliff” by Thanksgiving, saying uncertainty over the pending combination of tax hikes and spending cuts threatens consumer confidence during the holiday shopping season that begins on Black Friday.

Columbus, Ohio -- Abercrombie and Fitch reported Wednesday net income of $71.5 million for the third quarter, compared with $50.9 million in the year-ago period and beating Wall Street expectations. The retailer is forecasting annual earnings above analysts’ estimates.

Revenue rose 9% to $1.17 billion, boosted by a 37% rise in international sales. Same-store sales dipped 3%.

New York -- Aeropostale announced Wednesday it has acquired online women's fashion footwear and apparel retailer GoJane.com, based in Ontario, Calif.

The purchase of GoJane.com, which generated sales of about $19 million in 2011, is intended to beef up Aeropostale’s already growing e-commerce business.

Alan Hoffman, former deputy chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, is the new SVP of global public policy and government affairs at PepsiCo.

Greensboro, N.C. - The Fresh Market said Wednesday it has entered into agreements to lease four new store locations that are currently operated as Rice Epicurean Markets, a family-owned specialty food retailer based in Houston.

Rice Epicurean Markets will continue to operate the stores through the end of the year, and will close these four stores during the first quarter of 2013.

Jonathan Dall has joined sourcing solutions firm LogicSource as chief sales officer, a new position for the Norwalk, CT., based company owned by Bain Capital.

Needham, Mass. -- PTC said Tuesday that Cabela’s has chosen PTC Windchill FlexPLM software, the company’s Product Lifecycle Management solution for retail.