Events

NRF: Port statistic tracking would help avoid slowdowns
Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) and more than 100 other business groups are formally calling for passage of legislation that would require the Transportation Department to track port statistics.

In a letter addressed to John Thune (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, the NRF and its allies said this would help prevent a repeat of the congestion and slowdowns that occurred along the West Coast during the labor dispute resolved earlier this year.
Porsche drives consumers to dine in ‘experience center’
Atlanta - Porsche Cars North America Inc. hopes to drive consumers to drink – and eat – at its new $100 million Porsche Experience Center and headquarters. Porsche has officially opened its new fine dining "Restaurant 356" on the second level of the Porsche Experience Center, overlooking the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

How big was Amazon’s sales increase on Prime Day?

New York -- So, how did Amazon make out with its 20th anniversary super-sale event on Wednesday?

Not surprisingly, the online giant wasn’t giving out many details, beyond saying that members shopped at record rates during its first ever “Prime Day.” A different story played out on social media, with consumers expressing frustration and disappointments about the quality of the offered deals.
Google in two big moves sure to impact retail

New York -- Google made two announcements on Wednesday, both of which will impact retail.

In the first, the search engine giant said that the “buy” buttons it announced earlier this year will be deployed on a test basis in the next few weeks. The feature, called Purchases on Google, will allow consumers to purchase products directly from ads in select promoted mobile search ads.
Target Open House, San Francisco
Michaels is looking for fine artists

Michaels is teaming up with two of the world's biggest names in fine art to sponsor an omnichannel promotion for artists.

Michaels' Art Challenge: A Fine Art Competition will accept images of original artworks in oil or acrylic paint on canvas or watercolor on watercolor paper beginning July 26 and continuing through Aug. 15 at Michaels.com/artchallenge or in Canada at Canada.Michaels.com/artchallenge.
NRF: More time needed on overtime pay extension

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation on Wednesday asked the Labor Department to give businesses more time to respond to the administration’s proposal to expand overtime saying the plan’s “drastic changes” will require “extensive analysis” and require companies to speculate on “hypothetical proposals.”
NRF: Back-to-school shoppers take studied approach

Washington, D.C. - Parents this year will be a little more cautious about their back-to-school spending.

According to NRF’s Back-to-School Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, the average family with children in grades K-12 plans to spend $630.36 on school needs.
Mission accomplished? Amazon touts Prime Day triumph

Amazon.com didn’t give much in the way of details about its sales on Wednesday, but the retailer said members shopped at record rates during its first ever Prime Day.
Books-A-Million OKs $21 million buyout

Birmingham, Ala. -- In a deal that may take it private again, Books-A-Million Inc. has given its OK to a buyout deal from the family of its original owners.

The chain reached an agreement to be acquired by a newly organized entity owned by the Anderson Family, which includes Books-A-Million executive chairman Clyde B. Anderson, for $21 million, or $3.25 a share in cash. (According to the most recent SEC filing, the Anderson family already owns 58.2% of the company).
Check out some of Amazon’s ‘Prime Day’ deals

Seattle -- Amazon has released an early preview of some of the deals that will be offered on July 15, as part of its first-ever Prime Day anniversary extravaganza. The promotion, which Amazon claims will be bigger than Black Friday, has caused Walmart to offer its own super-sale online on Wednesday.
Shopify honors six new startups

Cloud-based commerce platform Shopify is recognizing six new startups with awards.

This year’s winners of the Shopify Build a Better Business contest ranged from a GPS-enabled suitcase, to a wearable that zaps users to reduce bad habits, to an innovative mattress.