Retail

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company has announced a new leadership structure that it says positions the company to leverage its assets and operations, and gain maximum benefit from the retail, consumer, mobile and digital shifts currently underway in the global marketplace.

Cary, N.C. – The Pantry, Inc. reported a net loss of $5.1 million in its first quarter of fiscal 2014, up from a net loss of $3.1 million the first quarter of the prior fiscal year. Revenues fell 5% to $1.8 billion from $1.9 billion, although same-store sales rose 3.5%.

San Francisco -- The trend of companies adopting recurring revenue surged in 2013, with brand names using new billing and pricing models to grow sales and deepen customer loyalty. Recurring revenue technology provider Aria Systems projects this surge will continue in 2014 as more companies adopt recurring revenue models because of their flexibility and convenience for customers.

President Obama in his State of the Union address last night said he plans to sign an executive order increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour for workers on new government contracts and asked Congress to approve the same increase for all workers — and the National Retail Federation is not happy.

NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay issued a response ahead of the president’s address.

Fort Wayne, Ind. -- Do it Best Corp. announced that VP of retail logistics John Snider will retire, effective June 30, 2014. The company’s VP of marketing, Tim Miller, will move into the role.

Owings Mills, Md. — Towne Centre at Laurel in Laurel, Md., has announced leases for 14 new retailers and restaurants. The $130 million, 400,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use redevelopment of the former Laurel Mall is now 85% leased and under construction. The first phase is scheduled to open in March with the reopening of a new 70,000-sq.-ft. Burlington Coat Factory.

The remainder of the project will open this fall, featuring Regal Cinemas, Sports Authority and the first Harris Teeter in Prince George’s County, along with the following 14 new tenants:

Washington, D.C. -- Retailers overwhelmingly agree mobile must be the number one priority for their digital business in 2014, according to the 2014 Shop.org/Forrester Research Inc. State of Retailing Online survey. More than half (53%) marked mobile efforts as a top priority, identifying responsive design, mobile site optimization, and tablet redesign among key focus areas.

Plans for the fragrance division of Marc Jacobs to open a pop-up in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood are not terribly unusual. But the type of currency the shop will accept is.

The Daisy Marc Jacobs Tweet Shop, which will be open during New York Fashion Week, from Feb. 7 to 9, will trade in social currency instead of money.