Sales & Marketing

Staples is accelerating its pursuit of growth opportunities abroad even as the company awaits regulatory approval of a proposed merger with Office Depot.

Staples has announced a partnership with Bidvest Waltons, South Africa’s leading office products company, and Dacris, a major distributor of office supplies in Romania.

New York -- The founder and ousted CEO of American Apparel, Dov Charney, is suing the company and its chairwoman Coleen Brown for a minimum of $20 million in damages, accusing them of defamation and mental and emotional distress.

Many of the allegations revolve around a letter Brown wrote to American Apparel employees in which she claimed that Charney had agreed in writing to never return in any capacity to the company. According to the lawsuit, Charney never signed any agreement.

Seattle -- REI has met its commitment to be powered by 100% renewable energy through energy efficiency, solar generation, long-term renewable energy contracts, and renewable energy certificates (RECs). That’s just one of the findings in the outdoor retailer’s 2014 Stewardship Report.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is partnering with the Alipay payment services subsidiary of Alibaba Holding Group to offer a new mobile payment option in some Chinese Wal-Mart locations. Customers at 25 Wal-Mart stores in the Chinese city of Shenzhen in southern China are now able to use the Alipay mobile wallet to pay for purchases.

Cult favorite grocery chain Wegman's is coming to New York City, with plasn to build a massive store in Brooklyn.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. topped analysts estimates for the first quarter, reporting a smaller-than-expected loss. Declaring its intent to become the “preferred shopping choice for middle America” and gain back market share, the company also raised its outlook for the year.

Penney posted a loss of $167 million in the quarter ended May 2, compared with a net loss of $352 million in the year-ago period.

Armonk, N.Y. - IBM is releasing new design and analytics features as part of IBM marketing cloud to enable brands to address the rising complexity marketers face engaging with customers as individuals. These new capabilities from IBM enable marketers to collaborate, design and deliver customer experiences with a focus on personalization.

Expanded analytics and design capabilities in IBM marketing cloud can be deployed as an integrated solution or as individual offerings. They include:

Digital interactions are expected to influence 64 cents of every dollar spent in retail stores by the end of 2015, or $2.2 trillion, according to Deloitte.