Retail

Bentonville, Ark. – In a reversal of corporate policy that did not offer workers paid sick leave until their second day of absence, Wal-Mart Store Inc. is reportedly now allowing employees to collect sick pay on their first day of not reporting to work due to illness. According to the Wall Street Journal, the change in policy is part of a larger effort to improve employee morale.

New York -- The Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, warned shoppers at shopping centers to be vigilant after a terror group called for attacks at shopping venues in Canada, the U.K. and the United States, mentioning by name the Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota.

"I'm not telling people to not go to the mall," Johnson said Sunday on NBC's Meet The Press. "I think that there needs to be an awareness."

The National Retail Federation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association are celebrating a tentative agreement on a labor dispute that caused problems at 29 West Coast ports.

Retailers have warned for months that the impasse in negotiations was creating an economic challenge, and that a full-scale strike would negatively impact the entire American economy. Farmers and manufacturers were also reporting a heavy toll as agriculture exports suffered and part shortages were leading to factory slowdowns for some automakers.

Seattle – Amazon.com is not the devil by any means, but the e-commerce giant is reportedly interested in “wearing” Prada and other high-end brand names on its site. According to Bloomberg, Amazon is in the midst of a major push to become a player in the word of designer fashion retailing.

Target is raising the stakes in the free online shipping game by undercutting not only Walmart but now also Amazon.com.

Target announced it has lowered the threshold for free shipping on online orders to $25, making it among the most competitive among major retailers. Its previous free-shipping minimum was $50, which placed it in the higher end of the spectrum.

Port Townsend, Wash. -- Intellicheck Mobilisa, a leader in ID verification and wireless technology, signed a contract with Helzberg Diamonds to implement ID Check throughout Helzberg’s 230 U.S. retail locations.

Helzberg Diamonds will utilize ID Check at the point-of-sale (POS) in its stores to analyze and authenticate driver’s licenses, with a goal of reducing the risk of fraudulent purchases.

Fairfax, Va. – A competitive promotional environment and delivery problems had a negative impact on net income and revenues at Geeknet, parent company of online retailer ThinkGeek.com and licensed merchandise distributor ThinkGeek Solutions, during the fourth quarter and full year 2014. Net income for fourth quarter 2014 was $1 million, down 80% from net income of $5.1 million in the same period a year earlier.

Total revenue for fourth quarter 2014 was $72.4 million, a decrease of 3% from $74.3 million.

Jackson, Miss. – Fast-casual restaurant chain Newk's Eatery is expanding to Columbia, South Carolina, as part of growth plans that include nearly 30 new corporate and franchised stores in 2015. The Columbia expansion is in partnership with its newest franchisees, Chris and Pam Corn.

The Corns will open their first Newk's in City Market in the Vista in late 2015 and have plans to open two additional locations in Columbia and the surrounding area.