Education

Washington, D.C. – Back-to-school spending for both K-12 and college students is on the upswing this year. According to a study of more than 6,400 adults with children in K-12 and college conducted by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights, 29% of K-12 households plan to spend more in the current year than the previous year, as do almost 30% of college households.

Shopper marketing firm Saatchi & Saatchi X has promoted one of its senior executives to be its next president.

The Walmart Foundation is making a big statement in support of free school meal and education programs.

The organization will give away $15.5 million in grants to seven national nonprofits to support free meal and nutrition education programs this summer and throughout the school year. The programs in more than 7,700 communities across the country will help over 1 million low-income children and their families gain access to critical meals and teach them how to cook and eat healthy together.

Barnes & Noble Inc. has appointed a Home Depot president and a former executive of PaineWebber as two new independent directors to its board ahead of the company's separation of its retail and college businesses.

The new board members are Ann-Marie Campbell, president of the southern division of Home Depot, and Paul B. Guenther, former president of PaineWebber Group Inc., the parent company of Paine Webber, Incorporated.

Etsy and the West Elm division of Williams-Sonoma continue to fuel the maker movement with new initiatives that were launched to coincide with a Presidential Proclamation establishing the National Week of Making.

In conjunction with an event at the White House and a proclamation by President Barack Obama, online retailer Etsy said it planned to expand its Craft Entrepreneurship program to 30 cities by July 2016 from the current 19 cities.

Walmart Stores, Inc., president and CEO Doug McMillon invoked a baking metaphor at a retail conference in Northwest Arkansas this week to describe the company’s merchandising philosophy and approach to offering customers every day low prices.

Staples has empowered young students to help create and design school products that solve real-life problems.

Through a unique initiative created by Staples Inc. called Designed by Students. kids have made: a colorful all-in-one writing instrument with interchangeable writing tips. A portable desk that lets students work anywhere. A floating locker shelf that maximizes and stylizes lockers.

Publix is exploring the possibility of opening smaller format stores in the North Florida area, according to the Gainesville Sun.

The Sun is reporting that the Southern grocery chain has been talking to Gainesville, Fla., city officials about a site near the University of Florida.

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