Events

Holiday discounts helped Bon-Ton Stores post a robust increase in same-store sales.

The company said same-store sales for the nine-week holiday period ended Jan. 3 increased 5.3%. Total sales for the combined months of November and December were up 3.8%, the company said.

Kathryn Bufano, president and CEO, said the company was “pleased” with the numbers, but that a “highly promotional sales environment” tempered the impact of those improved sales on Bon-Ton’s profits.

Retailers at NRF’s Big Show are hearing a lot about “machine learning.” But what is it and how does it help retailers grow sales?

Machine learning, in which supercomputers learn from mining masses of data on the cloud without human intervention, unlocks insights into consumer demand.

Deerfield, Ill. - Thomas Sabatino Jr., executive VP, global chief legal and administrative officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, will be leaving the company to join Hertz Global Holdings effective Feb.9. Sabatino will join Hertz Global Holdings as senior executive VP, chief administrative officer and general counsel.

Sabatino will remain in his current role with Walgreens Boots Alliance through the end of January to ensure a smooth transition of his current responsibilities. The company expects to announce his successor at that time.

Spanish Fort, Ala. -- Dallas-based Cypress Equities has officially broken ground on a 3.5-acre park project, at Spanish Fort Town Center, in Spanish Fort, Alabama.  The park is part of a major site enhancement plan, which also comprises upgraded building facades, a freshly designed sign package, along with new store and restaurant offerings.

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) is launching United for Patent Reform, a new coalition co-chaired by NRF and Oracle and comprised of grocery, hotel, retail, restaurant and technology associations and companies. The coalition will pursue patent reform legislation aimed at curbing abuse of the patent system by “patent trolls.”

E-commerce start up Symphony Commerce is facing seriously elevated expectations now that it has been singled out by Shop.org as the company with the greatest potential to transform the shopping experience and positively impact the retail industry.

New York -- In today's data-filled world, many retailers are missing some of the most basic — and important — metrics of all: store data and conversion rates. Join this Chain Store Age Webinar on Jan. 29, 2 p.m. (EST), and learn how the insights gained from this data can give companies an edge in today's hypercompetive, omnichannel retail environment.