Strategy

DALLAS — Zale Corp. has partnered with Shaquille O'Neal for a new, exclusive collection of men’s jewelry.

The Shaquille O’Neal Collection will offer a variety of men’s pendants, rings and bracelets. The collection will be offered exclusively in select Zale stores throughout the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and online at Zales.com/shaq, just in time for holiday gift giving.

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market Inc. said Wednesday that its fiscal fourth-quarter profit increased nearly 50% on strong sales. The grocer’s company's net income rose to $112.7 million for the period ended Sept. 30, up from $75.5 million a year ago.

Revenue rose nearly 24% to $2.91 billion, with an extra week in the most recent quarter. Same-store sales were up nearly 9%.

SAN FRANCISCO — Williams-Sonoma has launched a new, direct-to-consumer brand, Mark and Graham, which specializes in personalized gifts and accessories.

The Mark and Graham line will feature home decor, small leather goods and seasonal items that can be personalized with a choice of more than 50 custom monograms and creative type treatments. The brand will offer its products through an exclusive direct mail catalog and an e-commerce website Markandgraham.com.

New York -- Stuart Weitzman said Thursday that it has promoted Susan Duffy from senior VP global marketing to the position of chief marketing officer, as part of the luxury retailer’s plan for new market expansion.

As CMO, Duffy is charged with leading marketing, advertising, public relations and social media to ensure the branding message is consistent across all worldwide communications platforms.

Arlington, Va. – In a letter sent Thursday to President Barack Obama, RILA President Sandy Kennedy argued that the Administration’s failure in a timely manner to provide employers with formal guidance on the most basic of implementation rules for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) jeopardizes employer-sponsored healthcare coverage.

“RILA is extremely concerned that when formal guidance is finally released, employers will not have ample time to plan, budget and implement changes in order to comply with the new law,” said Kennedy.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — Hasbro has been named as one of America’s most community-minded companies. Hasbro was selected in the top 10 by "The Civic 50," the first comprehensive ranking of S&P 500 corporations that best use their time, talent, and resources to improve the quality of life in the communities where they do business. This list also includes companies such as IBM, Citi and AT&T.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Fujitsu has teamed up with its longstanding partner SAP AG to build a new packaged integration component, which will integrate Fujitsu's next-generation retail Point of Service application with the SAP(R) for retail portfolio solutions. The resulting extended capabilities will deliver significant multichannel benefits in terms of customer service, front-office business process improvements and point-of-sale improvements to retailers.

New York -- Dick's Sporting Goods Inc. opened three stores, including one relocated store, on Nov. 7. Of the two new stores, one was located at Stoneridge Village, Jefferson City, Mo.; and the other at Spokane Valley Mall, Spokane, Wash. The retailer relocated its N. Springboro Pike store to Dayton Mall, Dayton, Ohio.

In October, Dick’s celebrated the opening of 17 stores throughout the United States.