Retail

Austin, Texas -- Shoppers with registered devices and retailer mobile apps made more store visits during the 2013 holiday season than during the previous year’s holiday season. According to data from mobile analytics provider Digby, mobile consumers made 29.6% more store visits during the 2013 holidays than in 2012.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney issued a brief statement on Wednesday saying that it was "pleased” with its performance for the holiday selling period, and reaffirmed its fourth quarter fiscal 2013 guidance for increased same-store sales. But the retailer did not provide any specific sales data.

Groupon has named Tamer Tamar as SVP of international operations and Sri Subramaniam as VP of engineering for smart deals.

“We’re thrilled to have Tamer and Sri join Groupon and bring their incredible talent to our expanding bench of senior executives,” said CEO Eric Lefkofsky. “Tamer and Sri will accelerate Groupon’s plans to grow our international operations and deliver more and more relevant deals to our customers throughout the world.”

Los Angeles — The retail availability rate fell 70 basis points in 2013, reaching 12% and reflecting continued net absorption gains, according to a report from CBRE. The rate fell 30 basis points in the fourth quarter, which matches the momentum of the first half of 2013 after a flat third quarter.

Charlotte, N.C. -- Bojangles' Restaurants Inc. has appointed Clifton Rutledge as CEO effective Jan. 24. Rutledge joins Bojangles' from Texas-based hamburger chain Whataburger, succeeding current CEO Randy Kibler, who announced his plans to retire from this role in September 2013 but will remain active as chairman of the company's board of directors. Additionally, Bojangles' has promoted its senior VP of company operations Kenny Avery to COO.

J.C. Penney provided an ambiguous update on its holiday season performance, indicating it showed continued progress in its turnaround efforts and was “pleased” with its performance.

The company released a brief and vague statement Wednesday morning in which it noted, “customers responded well to the company’s offerings this holiday season, both in stores and online.”

New York -- Polaroid Fotobar will open an 8,500-sq.-ft. flagship at The LINQ, a new retail, dining and entertainment district in Las Vegas by Caesars Entertainment.

The retail format made its debut in 2013, with  three stores in Florida ( Delray Beach, Orlando and Miami). Upcoming plans include another location in Florida, in Boca Raton.

Tennis is an individual game, and tennis players have individual tastes when it comes to buying gear and apparel. For Houston-based Tennis Express, a specialty retailer of tennis equipment, apparel, footwear and accessories, segmenting customers in order to better meet their individual needs and tastes is shaping up to be a winning effort.