Sales & Marketing

Hibbett Sports’s expansion plan hit an important milestone in Texas this month.

The retailer announced the opening of its 1,000th store in Sealy, Texas, at 2290 Highway 36 South in Brazos Village.

Weis Markets says its customer experience strategy is paying off, as the grocery chain credited the effort with its increase in same store sales in the first quarter.

Oak Brook, Ill. - McDonald's Corp. is trying to make fast-food even more convenient for New Yorkers. The retailer is launching a delivery test with Postmates, a direct-to-consumer delivery service, in the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

Customers can go to Postmates.com or download the Postmates mobile app to order McDonald's food for delivery within an hour. The test involves 88 select McDonald's restaurants.

New York – American Express is launching a new loyalty program called Plenti. The program lets consumers use loyalty points accrued at one participating retailer and use them at another.

Initial participating organizations include AT&T, Exxon, Macy’s, Mobil, Nationwide, Rite Aid, Direct Energy, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and Hulu. The program is expected to include more brands in additional categories over time.

WinCo Foods LLC is marking its 100th store opening with a huge celebration in Texas on May 7.

The newest WinCo Foods store is located at 1288 W. Main St. in Lewisville and is the fifth WinCo Foods store to open in Texas. Occupying approximately 83,000 square feet the store will initially employ approximately 150 individuals, about 140 of whom have been hired locally.

Milwaukee – A lot of pure-play e-commerce retailers have interesting origin stories. According to (dubious) legend, eBay started as a way to buy and sell collectible Pez candy dispensers. Aftcra, an online marketplace for American handmade products, has a verifiable tale of its roots fitting its all-American product selection.

San Francisco – The Gymboree Corp. shrank its net loss in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 to $7.4 million, from $167.2 million in the same quarter a year earlier. The elimination of a non-recurring $157.2 million non-cash impairment charge in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013 contributed to the reduction in net loss.

Net sales rose 7% to $375.6 million, from $351 million. Same-store sales rose 5%. In fiscal 2015, Gymboree plans to close 30-40 stores and open about 12 stores.

The At Home chain of home décor superstores continues to acquire senior leadership talent with public company experience which suggest a public stock offering could be in the company’s future.

The most recent addition involves the appointment of former PetSmart CEO and Chairman Phil Francis. who has selected as an independent member of the At Home board of directors.