Retail

New York -- A Wednesday report by Bloomberg said that Apple plans to double its number of retail stores in China over the next two years to help offset slowing growth worldwide.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has launched an interactive map that allows users to find licensed online pharmacies by searching through states' board of pharmacy databases.

The site, BeSafeRx, is designed to help users distinguish between legitimate pharmacies and fake ones, noting that fake pharmacies will often use various means to appear legitimate. "If you cannot confirm that an online pharmacy is licensed in the United States, you should not use that online pharmacy," the site states.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce myself to you as the new senior editor of Chain Store Age, focused on covering all the news, trends and happenings in the constantly changing world of retail IT. Technology is evolving at a breakneck pace with major implications for retail. Emerging technology areas such as mobile, social and cloud are changing the very nature of customer experience, while the explosion of Big Data offers both a major challenge and opportunity for retailers that can successfully harness the immense of volume of information that is now available.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Wednesday that it is implementing a pilot program that brings increased transparency to its workforce scheduling and allows associates to choose more hours for themselves.

Walmart said it is piloting the program in Denver and Fort Smith, Ark., to provide associates with transparent and consistent information on available shifts throughout the store and give them the opportunity to request to work any of those shifts.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — AutoZone recognized Spectra Premium Industries as its Vendor of the Year during the company's annual AutoZone Vendor Summit held in Tunica, Miss.

"Spectra has been a strong AutoZone supplier for more than five years. During that time they have collaborated with us to grow sales and improve productivity in the categories they supply us," said Bill Rhodes, chairman, president and CEO of AutoZone.

Craftsman and Harley-Davidson have teamed up to produce co-branded, special-edition tool storage products available now in Sears stores and online.

As part of the partnership, Craftsman — the tool brand owned by Sears Holdings — has been named the official hand and power tool sponsor of the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Celebration. 

NEW YORK — The Jones Group Inc. plans to close 170 under-performing stores in the U.S. by mid-2014 as part of its efforts to shore up profitability.

The stores identified for closure include 50 units previously announced in the fourth quarter.

Jones, which owns the Nine West, Jones New York and Anne Klein banners among others, will emerge from the restructuring with a higher percentage of outlet stores in its portfolio, and some units will be converted to more viable sister banners.

Whiting, Ind. -- Survey results released Wednesday by CouponCabin.com found that one in five smartphone owners have visited a store after receiving notification that specials, coupons or deals were available nearby.

The survey – conducted by Harris Interactive – also found that 70% of smartphone owners would be at least somewhat influenced to make an unplanned purchase at a store after receiving this type of alert.