Sales & Marketing

Toys”R”Us is looking to excite toy shoppers with an all-new assortment of toys from Fisher-Price based on the hit Nickelodeon show, “Blaze and the Monster Machines.”

The show features the heroic monster truck, Blaze, his 8-year-old driver, AJ, and many other characters helping preschoolers learn Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) concepts. The Toys line of road-ready vehicles, die-cast and plush are available only at Toys"R"Us stores nationwide and Toysrus.com, now through the end of July.

Surging sales at Old Navy helped Gap Inc. offset sales declines at its namesake division and its Banana Republic stores in the first quarter.

Gap Inc. reported that for the first quarter of fiscal 2015, Gap Inc.’s net sales decreased 3% to $3.66 billion compared with $3.77 billion for the first quarter last year.

Secaucus, N.J. – The Children’s Place Inc. is publicly criticizing a report from proxy advisory service Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) recommending that shareholders elect one of two board nominees from activist investors Macellum SPV II L.P. and Barington Companies Equity Partners L.P. ISS supports election of Robert L. Mettler but recommends against electing Seth R. Johnson.

Seattle – Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Holding Group Ltd. has disclosed it holds a 9.3% stake in online retailer Zulily. Alibaba has purchased about 4.8 million class A shares for $56 million. This represents about 17% of Zulily’s Class A stock.

Macy’s is looking for charity partners to participate in the retailer’s 10th annual national “Shop For A Cause.”

The retailer’s one-day-only shopping event, which is very popular with shoppers, is designed to support local charities’ fundraising efforts.

New York -- Andy Dunn, the founder of the hot online menswear retailer Bonobos, is transitioning from CEO to executive chairman. Dunn, who founded the company in 2007, has named retail veteran Francine Della Badia to serve as CEO starting June 1.

Della Badia most recently served as president of North American retail at Coach, leaving in February. She also held positions with Victoria’s Secret, J.Crew and Gap Inc.

Alibaba Holding Group Ltd. went on a buying spree at Zulily this month, but the Chinese Internet retailer wasn't buying baby shoes.

Alibaba purchased about 4.8 million class A shares in Zulily, about 17% of Zulily’s Class A stock. The stake, valued at more than $150 million, was disclosed in a securities filing that showed Alibaba this month spent $56 million buying Zulily stock as the U.S. company’s shares plunged following a disappointing earnings report.

Chicago -- JLL is getting a big boost to its retail business by acquiring Wilson Retail Group, an independent retail brokerage and capital markets firm in Southern California.

The transaction will enable JLL, the nation’s largest third-party retail property manager, to provide a broader range of brokerage and investment sales services to retailers and investors in a core urban gateway. The transaction closed for an undisclosed sum.