Sales & Marketing

CNBC nabbed the first interview with Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and COO Kevin Johnson since Schultz announced he would step down in April, and be succeeded by Johnson.   

Athletic giant adidas has opened a giant of a flagship, on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 46th Street in Manhattan. The four-story, 45,000-sq.-ft. store is the brand’s largest location in the world.    The new space marks the debut of adidas’ stadium retail concept, which is inspired by high school stadiums and celebrates creativity in sport. The store features a tunnel entrance, stands for live-game viewing on big screens, locker room-styled dressing rooms and track and turf sections where customers can try out products.

Luxury retailers are not advocates of fast fashion, but Matchesfashion.com’s new service gives the term a new meaning.  

Ascena Retail Group reported a profit in its first quarter on lower costs, but it missed Wall Street expectations.    The company, whose banners include Ann Taylor, Loft, Lane Bryant, Dress Barn and more, reported net income of $14 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, in the first quarter, compared to a net loss of $18 million last year, or $0.10 per diluted share. Ascena’s income for the first quarter reflected lower purchase accounting adjustments and acquisition and integration costs.   

Ulta has finished its third quarter with another very impressive set of numbers. Despite lapping some tough comparatives, the pace of growth has quickened with strong uplifts in total and comparable sales, as well as on the bottom line where operating and net income both grew by well over 20%.  

Both Black Friday and Cyber Monday broke sales records this year, and early promotions could be a key contributor to this success.   Out of more than 400 major retailers that offered promotions via RetailMeNot, 70% started promoting Black Friday deals before Thanksgiving, the savings destination reported in the “RetailMeNot Promotions Index.” The study, which was conducted between Nov. 24 and Nov. 28, is based on responses from 1,500 Americans aged 18 and over.   

Kroger Co. lowered the higher end of its full-year adjusted profit forecast amid a “difficult” operating environment, marked by falling food prices and increased competition.    The nation’s largest grocery store operator reported net earnings of $391 million, or $0.41 per diluted share, and identical supermarket sales growth, without fuel, of 0.1% in the third quarter, which ended on Nov. 5. Net earnings in the same period last year were $428 million, or $0.43 per diluted share.  

Mobile commerce drove healthy bottom lines for retailers industry-wide during Cyber Week, and PayPal witnessed the experience first-hand.   The payment processor said one-third of all payment volume on its network during both Thanksgiving Day and on Black Friday occurred on mobile devices, according to Tech Crunch.