Retail

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot is getting ready to roll out omnichannel initiatives, just in time for the back-to-school season. Beginning July 28, its employees will be equipped with mobile hand-held devices across all stores, which will provide them with tools designed to enhance shoppers’ experience.

Office Depot employees will be able to use the hand-held devices to obtain instant access to extended product information, availability, customer reviews and on-the-spot checkout from anywhere in the store.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Kmart is kicking it old school this back-to-school season with its latest viral ad campaign, which features “yo momma” jokes. The campaign follows closely on the heels of the retailer’s similarly irreverent "Ship My Pants" and "Big Gas Savings" campaigns.

Kansas City -- A new study of the millennial generation shows that many 25- to 34-year-old shoppers change their purchasing habits and behaviors after they start their families.

More of a mass market future could be in the cards for the Oreck Corporation following acquisition of its assets this week by TTI Group’s Royal Appliance subsidiary, which manufactures well known home improvement and housewares brands.

Oreck filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year and this week the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Tennessee approved the sale of its assets to Royal Appliance for a little more than $17 million and the assumption of certain debt obligations.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation penned a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, asking Congress to pass a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate.  

The impending House vote follows the Administration’s announcement earlier this month of a one-year delay of the employer mandate provisions.

Dick's Sporting Goods plans to open its first Field & Stream branded store this August in Cranberry Township, Pa., as part of the company's ongoing strategy to drive growth with speciality store concepts. The company also recently opened its first True Runner speciality store in its hometown of Pittsburgh.

LOS ANGELES — Shopzilla, a leading source of sales and consumer feedback for online merchants and retail advertisers, is expanding its footprint with the launch of its new media solutions and audience targeting division Aisle A in Europe, which will offer marketers access to proprietary shopping intent data and evolving premium retail inventory. 

New York -- Forbes reported that CVS has opted not to sell the latest edition of Rolling Stone magazine, which features a photo of “Boston Bomber” Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on its cover.