Retail

Dallas -- Survey results released Monday by Alliance Data Retail Services found that many mothers are tapping into their mobile phones’ capabilities to help with their hectic lives, whether via text, tag or talk.

Bentonville, Ark. -- For the first time in the retailer’s history, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said that, through Walmart and the Walmart Foundation, it has given more than $1 billion in cash and in-kind contributions.

The Monday announcement makes Walmart the first U.S. retailer to achieve the $1 billion in giving mark, up from $872.7 million last year. The growth in global giving was largely due to increased in-kind donations in the U.S. to local food banks and families impacted by disasters.

Toronto -- Holt Renfrew will open a flagship store in spring 2016 at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga. The store, planned at approximately 120,000 sq.-ft., is part of the company's aggressive growth plan, which will result in a 40% expansion of the total square footage of Holt Renfrew's network.

In addition to the new Square One site, a number of Holt Renfrew stores will be renovated and expanded, with some completely rebuilt.

New York -- Ann Inc. said Monday it has already surpassed its 2015 emission goal by reducing its carbon footprint by 8% per square foot.

The parent of Ann Taylor and Loft has now upped its objective, setting a new goal of reducing emissions per square foot by 30% by 2015.

The to-date reductions in carbon emissions were achieved through the implementation of key programs ranging from the installation of in-store energy-efficient lighting to behavioral change campaigns for associates.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. said Monday it has redesigned Riteaid.com to a more personalized and engaging version.

Rite Aid worked with digital and healthcare communications firm Razorfish Healthware on the project.

“Today’s customer expects more from their online experience than ever before, so it’s critical that our website not only meets but exceeds their expectations,” said Ken Martindale, COO, Rite Aid.

Chicago -- Information Resources (IRI), the exclusive provider of Costco point-of-sale and inventory information to the manufacturer community, and Costco Wholesale announced several enhancements to their Costco Collaborative Retail Exchange (CRX) program, a single, global solution for category, POS and supply chain tracking at Costco, and the launch of Costco CRX Mexico.

Houston -- Francesca's Holdings Corp. said Friday it has appointed Laurie Ann Goldman and Joseph O'Leary to its board of directors, effective April 17.

Goldman is CEO of shapewear brand Spanx. Earlier in her career, she held marketing positions at R.H. Macy and Maison Blanche Stores.    

O'Leary is EVP merchandising, marketing, supply chain and strategic planning for PetSmart.

New York -- J.C. Penney announced Thursday that its COO Michael Kramer has resigned, along with chief talent officer Daniel Walker – bringing Penney’s April executive casualty number to five. Both resignations had been previously reported.

Kramer’s resignation was disclosed via a Securities and Exchange filing. He walked away with a $2+ million cash payment.

The two latest resignations follow CEO Ron Johnson’s departure last week, along with product development lead Nick Wooster and marketing VP Sissie Twiggs.