Sales & Marketing

Michaels is looking to further bolster its omnichannel strategy in 2015 after reporting an 18% profit jump in the fourth quarter.

The CEO for the Michaels Cos., Chuck Rubin, said: "We achieved solid performance across categories and geographies as our customers recognized and responded to the improvements that we have put in place. As we look to fiscal 2015, we will continue to build upon our vision 2020 strategy to deliver a strong in-store and online shopping experience, increase our market share and expand our customer base."

Facebook has become the latest tech powerhouse to get into the payments game by adding a feature to its Messenger app that lets users send money the same way they would a send text.

The news follows similar moves by Apple, Samsung and Google, all of whom announced new payment offerings over the past few months.

Trader Joe’s will open its first-ever Schaumburg (Illinois) location on March 20, at Woodfield Village Green, a 687,015-sq.-ft. foot shopping center owned by DDR.

Check out this quick time-lapse video of the nine-month construction process, which involved filling in a man-made retention pond and building the store on top.

Lawrenceville, N.J. - Apparel and general merchandise manufacturers and retailers are using item-level, electronic product code (EPC)-enabled radio frequency identification (RFID) to enhance inventory visibility and respond to consumer demands for omnichannel options. According to results of the 2014 GS1 US Standards Usage Survey, more than half (57%) of retailers reported that they are currently implementing RFID, and another 19% planned to implement RFID within the next 12 months.

Time may be running out for Toys "R" Us shoppers to ride the Ferris wheel at the retailer's flagship store in Time Square.

Toys "R" Us will not be renewing the lease of its Manhattan flagship, according to various reports. The lease for the massive 110,000-sq.-ft. retail space, at 1514 -1530 Broadway, between 44th and 45th Streets, is set to expire at the end of January.

Commerce Calif. -- Value-oriented food retailer Smart & Final Stores Inc. plans to accelerate its expansion after posting double-digit sales growth in the fourth quarter.

The Path to Purchase Institute this week bestowed Effie awards to top retailers and brand for their marketing effectiveness.

Winners of the 5th annual Shopper Marketing Effie Awards were celebrated at the Path to Purchase Institute’s 2015 Shopper Marketing Summit. The awards honor work that showcases the best utilization of shopper insights that lead to effective engagements and activations with shoppers along their path to purchase.

Boston -- Walmart narrowly leads the one-stop basket assessment versus Target, according to the latest Kantar Retail basket pricing study, which examines a basket of grocery, HBA, and general merchandise items. Study findings indicate Target’s overall basket is 3.5% more expensive than Walmart’s and Walmart leads in each of the sub-baskets, with the strongest lead in general merchandise.
Notable findings from the study include: