Consumer Electronics

Sunnyvale, Calif. – The marketing head of a major Internet company has heard the siren call of Hollywood. Kathy Savitt, chief marketing officer of Yahoo, is joining Burbank, California-based movie and TV production studio STX Entertainment in October as president of digital business.

Savitt, who previously served as VP of communications and Amazon.com and chief marketing officer at American Eagle Outfitters, and also founded now defunct social commerce site Lockerz, had been in charge of marketing at Yahoo for three years.

Grapevine, Texas -- GameStop, which has long been known as an innovative company, has become one of the first major retailers to accept Google's new mobile payment system.

GameStop, which has long been known as an innovative company, has become one of the first major retailers to accept Google's new mobile payment system.

GameStop has announced that customers can start using Android Pay, which was rolled out by Google only on Thursday, immediately to pay for purchases in its more than 4,200 U.S. video game stores. GameStop has already completed a nationwide rollout of Android Pay, which uses the NFC feature on mobile devices to allow users to transform mobile payments with an easy and secure way to pay. 

Dallas -- Kip Tindell, co-founder, chairman and CEO of The Container Store, has joined a global list of who’s who in retailing.

Tindell was inducted into the World Retail Hall of Fame during a closing day ceremony at the World Retail Congress in Rome, Italy. Now in its ninth year, the World Retail Hall of Fame has honored founders of some of the retail world’s most iconic brands.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Kmart is making getting an advance jump on holiday purchases a little easier this year.

Company executives told Reuters the retailer started letting customers make no-down-payment layaway purchases for holiday items the week of Aug. 31.

With its same store sales ever on the decline, Kmart is making it even easier for shoppers to afford gifts this holiday season by introducing a new kind of layaway plan.

The retailer announced that No Money Down Layaway is returning for its second year, and for the first time ever, Kmart is introducing No Money Down Leasing. 

The National Retail Federation found that more than 40% of Americans begin shopping for the holidays prior to October and of those, 60% shop early in order to spread their budgets.

Mountain View, Calif. – Apple Pay has a new rival, and it’s a formidable one.  
   
In its second take on mobile payments, Google is officially releasing its Android Pay digital payment solution to users of Android devices in the U.S.
     

New York -- Department store retailer Bealls Inc. has taken the wraps off its new specialty concept targeted at millennials.

Called Bunulu, the new format made its debut at Coconut Point Mall in Estero, Florida. Two additional locations — at St. Johns Town Center, Jacksonville, Florida, and The Garden Mall, Palm Beach, Florida — are set to open by the end of this year.