Retail

York, Pa. -- The Bon-Ton Stores announced that Keith E. Plowman, executive VP and CFO plans to retire in August. His departure will be followed by an 18-month consulting stint.

The retailer will undertake a national search to find a CFO to succeed Plowman.

Walmart is hoping to increase the cash in in-store shoppers’ wallets this year by offering a new tax refund service.

Direct2Cash is a way for customers to collect their tax refunds in cash at stores this tax season. The service is an alternative for taxpayers who otherwise might get refunds via check or direct deposit.

Bentonville, Ark. - The restructuring of Wal-Mart’s senior executive ranks continues with the latest round of appointments involving some familiar leaders in new roles with curious titles, as well as some key resignations.

Chicago -- Mid-America Real Estate Corporation’s Investment Sales team recently brokered the sale of The Columbian Retail Shops in Chicago. Chicago-based Newcastle Limited purchased the 6,600-sq.-ft., two-tenant retail property for $2 million.

The Columbian Retail Shops is located at the northwest corner of South Michigan Avenue and East Roosevelt Road in Chicago. The center features retailers Burger Bar and Elements Therapeutic Massage.

Retailers interested in fine-tuning their digital pricing strategies may want to look at a new index called the Price Perception Index.

The index, created by e-commerce startup Bommerang Commerce, measures how retailers optimize prices to attract buyers, compete with other retailers and build their business on a mix of profit margins and volume.

The first Price Perception Index looks at the complex competition between Amazon.com and Walmart.com.

Retailers at NRF’s Big Show are hearing a lot about “machine learning.” But what is it and how does it help retailers grow sales?

Machine learning, in which supercomputers learn from mining masses of data on the cloud without human intervention, unlocks insights into consumer demand.

Milwaukee – Roundy’s Inc. expects to open five new stores in fiscal 2015, including one in the first quarter. However, the grocery chain also said it expects earnings per diluted share from continuing operations of flat to -$0.05 in the first quarter and a net loss of $0.07 to $0.18 per share in the fiscal year.

Unilever is trying to grow sales of men’s skin care products by targeting fathers with innovative workshops at Sam’s Club.

Dove Men+Care and Family First's national nonprofit fatherhood program, All Pro Dad, will present All Pro Dad in-Club interactive workshops at 60 Sam's Clubs in the Top 30 markets across the country on Jan. 17.