Marketing Tactics

Best Buy founder and former chairman Richard Schulze on Monday offered to buy the struggling retailer and take it private for as much as $8.8 billion. Schulze said he would offer Best Buy shareholders between $24 and $26 for each of their shares in the chain, according to a letter sent to the board that he made public.

DALLAS — Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe has designed an exclusive collection of vintage-inspired costume jewelry for Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. The collection consists of statement rings, cuffs, necklaces, and earrings.

Oakland, Calif. -- Lucid, a provider of real-time feedback technology for buildings, is spearheading a study of resource consumption and behavior change with Starbucks Coffee Co. The pilot project, developed in conjunction with the Snohomish County Public Utility District and Portland Energy Conservation Inc., will be hosted by 10 Starbucks stores in Snohomish County, Ore., and will serve to test and document measurable energy savings in the stores.

SECAUCUS, N.J. — Panasonic has expanded its growing portfolio of beauty products with the launch of three new products: a heated eyelash curler, precision body shaver and facial hair trimmer.

The newest products join Panasonic's current beauty product portfolio, which includes facial steamers, pore cleansers and bikini trimmers.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreen Co. said that its same-store sales fell 7% in July as its split with Express Scripts continued to hurt its top line. (The two companies last month reached an agreement to resume doing business, but that doesn't start until Sept. 15.)

The company's pharmacy same-store sales were down 9.7%, while front end sales fell 2.4%. The performance missed analyst expectations.
 

GRAPEVINE, Texas — GameStop has partnered with Activision to offer its customers the exclusive chance to pre-order the Golden Dragonfire Cannon Battle Pack that expands their Skylanders Giants game play with new battle arenas and figures. This limited edition battle pack features the Golden Cannon and unlocks an exclusive in-game battle arena.

And the award for the world’s largest in-store display goes to Procter & Gamble for an Olympic themed creation the consumer products company dropped in the aisle of a Walmart store in American Canyon, Calif.

Online shopper engagement firm Jingit named former Walmart head merchant John Fleming to their board of advisors this week and offered a view of his career and accomplishments at Walmart that isn’t likely to jive with the recollection of suppliers.

“John pioneered countless initiatives throughout his stellar career at Walmart that took that brand to new heights in the market,” Jingit co-founder Joe Rogness said of Fleming.