Sales & Marketing

Fred’s Super Dollar continues to see sales increases as 2016 continues. The company reported Thursday that for the four weeks ending Feb. 27, it saw net sales of $171.1 million, a 12% increase over the same period last year. The announcement follows January’s sales, which also increased 12% over the same four weeks in 2015. Comparable store sales rose 0.8% for the month, compared to flat comps in February 2015.

Fabletics, the online fashion activewear brand co-founded by actress Kate Hudson, is flexing its muscle. The company is adding physical stores to its subscription-based e-commerce model and men’s workout gear to its mix.

Specialty outdoor retailer The North Face is reportedly taking a desktop-based interactive online shopping experience it launched in December to a new platform. According to VentureBeat, The North Face is launching a mobile app that will let consumers find products using natural conversation to conduct searches and receive personalized recommendations. The app is scheduled to launch in April 2016.

Sam Dushey took the reins of his family-owned business, discount department-store chain Shoppers World, when he was just 27. The company was founded by his grandfather, an immigrant from Syria, in the 1930s, and then expanded upon by Dushey’s father, uncle and cousin.

Macy’s is supporting a new omnichannel order fulfillment program called “Pick to the Last Unit” (P2LU) with Tyco’s TrueVUE RFID inventory visibility platform.

Customers responded favorably to holiday promotions at Pier 1 during the fourth quarter and the retailer is poised for an even better spring now that it plans a return to TV advertising.

The number of U.S. businesses with solar energy installations grew to a new high in 2015. Enterprises ranging from family-run companies to some of the country’s biggest corporations are producing their own energy, cutting operating expenses and achieving environmental sustainability.

A recent report from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) provides data and insights into the diverse mix of corporate offices, office buildings, retail, manufacturing, data centers, distribution and logistics centers, and convention centers that have gone solar.

While online subscription box retailing is still a niche market, it is growing rapidly and consumers have selected their early favorites.