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Sales & Marketing

  • Retail employment up

    A strong report on Friday from the Labor Department shows that retail employment was up 51,100 jobs in February on the heels of a gain of 52,100 in January.

    Compared with February 2015, retail jobs were up by 247,300. The numbers exclude gasoline stations, automobiles and restaurants.

  • Winter Storm Jonas hurts revenue at Big Lots

    Big Lots says harsh winter weather hurt traffic counts and revenue, but the closeout retailer still posted increases in same-store sales for the fourth quarter.

    Big Lots reported income from continuing operations of $94.7 million, or $1.91 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter ended Jan. 30. Revenue dropped to $1.58 billion from $1.59 billion for the same quarter last year. Same-store sales increased 0.7%.It was the eighth consecutive quarter in which Big Lots has posted positive same-store sales.

  • Staples offers FTC justification for Office Depot acquisition

    Another set of weak quarterly results from Staples and another round of store closures could give the Federal Trade Commission more evidence to support Staples long-running effort to acquire Office Depot.

  • Costco doing something it hasn’t done in nine years

    Costco Wholesale Corp. is raising entry-level wages for its hourly workers for the first time since 2007.

    The move comes as other major retailers have been upping the minimum wages for their entry-level workers amid a tightening job market.

    Starting this month, Costco will pay workers $1.50 more per hour in the U.S. and Canada. Workers will now earn at least $13 or $13.50 per hour, up from a minimum of $11.50 or $12 per hour.

  • Bridgestone Retail goes for gold with former Olympian

    The 2,200 unit Bridgestone Retail Operations chain of automotive stores is drawing inspiration from a gold medal winning Olympic sprinter to help accelerate its performance.

  • Report: Nordstrom trims IT staff

    As part of a leveling of its technology spending, Nordstrom Inc. has made a reduction in its technology personnel.

    According to Geekwire, Nordstrom recently laid off 10 employees in its technology department.

  • Now Trending: The Replacements

    There has been a great deal of discussion and analysis in recent years regarding the ongoing struggles of many traditional department store giants. Brands like Sears, J.C. Penney and Macy’s are scratching and clawing to continue to stay afloat, together with a number of big-box retailers that are also struggling to remain competitive in an evolving retail marketplace.

  • Saks offers online shoppers the human touch

    Saks Fifth Avenue is offering personalized service from store associates to customers beyond the confines of the store.

    Partnering with personalized e-commerce technology provider Salesfoor, Saks is letting online customers create customizable Saks.com boutique pages. The pages contain personally curated assortments of Saks merchandise, accessible through a dedicated URL.

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