Events

San Jose, Calif. -- EBay Inc. on Monday announced it has appointed two independent directors to its board as it prepares for the spinoff of its payments division, PayPal, in the second half of this year.

Ebay appointed Tony Bates, president of action camera maker GoPro, and Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross, to its board.

Sportsman's Warehouse is trying to increase its appeal among women with a promotion aimed at outdoorsy ladies.

The retailer plans to host its 5th annual Ladies' Night on March 26. The company says the event will celebrate the growing number of women who regularly participate, or are just becoming involved in, outdoor sports such as hunting, fishing, camping and shooting.

Sears and Craftsman have kicked off their second annual “MAKEcation” promotion with a sweepstakes that sends the winner to an event this fall in Brooklyn. 

From now through July 31, Craftsman Club and Shop Your Way members can enter for a chance to win a trip to this experience by visiting www.craftsman.com/makecation.

Most Americans plan to stock up on food and clothing for the Easter holiday, according to the National Retail Federation.

NRF’s Easter Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics reports that the average person celebrating Easter will spend $140.62, slightly more than last year’s $137.46. Total spending for Easter, which includes purchases of apparel, decorations, gifts, candy, food, flowers and more, is expected to reach $16.4 billion.

Outdoor retailer REI reached new heights in 2014 thanks to unprecedented membership growth which fueled a 4.2% same store sales increase and a record financial performance.

The same store sales increased and addition of seven new stores helped the company increase total sales 9.9% to $2.2 billion. The company ended the year with 5.5 million active members, 945,000 of whom joined the retail cooperative in 2014.

The rapid changes in the digital and mobile world are radically affecting consumer behavior, disrupting traditional means of retailer/consumer interaction and influencing buying behavior and payment options in an unprecendented way.

Capitalizing on these technological innovations means keeping a close eye on the ways in which innovations in technology are turning the retail world upside down. There is no better way to do this than attend Mobile World Congress.

New York -- Wal-Mart Stores has reached a settlement with the two children of James McNair, the comedian who was killed in the highway accident that also seriously injured comic and former “Saturday Night Live” performer Tracy Morgan, the Associated Press reported.
 
Citing documents filed in New York's Westchester County, the AP reported the children were awarded a total of $10 million. The deadly crash occurred on June 7, 2014, on the New Jersey Turnpike.
   

New York -- The collapse of oil prices translates into a huge tax cut for 90% of the economy, former CNBC host, economist and newspaper columnist Larry Kudlow told attendees at Chain Store Age’s 51st annual SPECS show. Kudlow was a keynoter at the event, which was held at the Sands Expo, Venetian/Palazzo Hotel, Las Vegas, March 15 – 16, and brought together retail executives in store planning & design, construction and facilities.
 

Chain Store Age hosted its 51st annual SPECS 2015 conference on March 15-17, in Las Vegas. Here are three takeways from the conference concerning technological innovation in the store planning area:

1. Overflowing Shelves are the Enemy
For most brick-and-mortar retailers, having shelves chock full of merchandise with every possible variation (such as size and color) is the definition of successful merchandising. But in actuality, overflowing shelves leave store associates too busy to assist customers, who are left overwhelmed.

Houston – Mattress Firm Holding Corp. is revving up its growth in fiscal 2015, with plans to open 200 to 220 new stores.