Retail

Staples has promoted John Buchta to VP, treasurer and tax. Buchta adds the role of treasurer to his current responsibilities as VP, tax, and will continue to report to Christine Komola, EVP and CFO.

“John has been an outstanding leader at Staples and brings more than 25 years of industry experience to his new role,” Komola said.

Buchta joined Staples in 2011. Prior to Staples, he was a partner at Ernst & Young. He succeeds Lisa Scopa, who has been promoted to the position of VP, high growth markets.

New York -- Fifth & Pacific Cos., formerly known as Liz Claiborne, agreed to sell its Juicy Couture brand to Authentic Brands Group for $195 million, according to various reports.  

"This decision is the result of a process we began last year—studying our resource allocation needs, our capital structure, and the operating risks and opportunities associated with a three-brand portfolio while still maximizing shareholder value," said William McComb, CEO of Fifth & Pacific, in a statement.

Ahold USA-owned supermarket chain Giant Food Stores celebrated its 90th birthday.

The supermarket banner, which operates nearly 200 stores under the Giant and Martin's Food Markets brands in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, marked its anniversary Friday morning at a store in its hometown of Carlisle, Pa. Customers at all the company's 200 stores will receive free slices of cake and free apple slices Friday.

Boston – Women are more likely to have shopped online in the past year than men (57% compared to 52%), but men are more likely to have made a purchase via smartphone (22% compared to 18%) or tablet (20% compared to 17%), according to a new study from SeeWhy Conversion Academy.  

The report, “The Roles of Gender, Geography and Age in Mobile Commerce,” reveals that among 18-to-24-year-olds, women are actually more likely than men to shop via smartphone (21.6% compared to 21.3%) and tablet (20% compared to 14%).

Fort Worth, Texas – RadioShack Corporation is reportedly planning to raise funds before the end of this year to gain the confidence of suppliers in its turnaround effort. According to Bloomberg, RadioShack currently has enough liquidity to operate through 2014 but intends to raise additional cash through financing.

A recent string of media reports has focused on major retailers that track customers who return merchandise. While the plaintiffs’ bar and the media are seeking to transform return monitoring into a headline-grabbing consumer privacy issue, the practice is hardly new, it is certainly justified as an anti-fraud measure and any litigation or compliance risk should be mitigated by appropriate disclosures.

Chicago — Mid-America Asset Management Inc. has announced that three new restaurants have taken space in Chicagoland shopping centers.

Restaurant franchise Red Snapper has leased 1,800 sq. ft. at Dorchester Commons in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Mid-America represented the landlord. The tenant was self-represented.