Sales & Marketing

New York – Taking money is one thing, but e-retailers aren’t always so great at giving it back. In a study of the refunds performance of 40 of the largest online retailers, analysis firm StellaService found that the majority of retailers evaluated aren’t meeting consumer expectations.

For orders placed in fourth quarter 2014, the average speed to receive a refund from the companies evaluated was 9.5 days. The majority of consumers said they expect a refund in seven days or less.

New York -- Sears Holdings has a new leader for its Kmart pharmacy division. The company announced that it has hired Phil Keough as senior VP and president, pharmacy.

Keough most recently served as CEO and president of Millennium Pharmacy Systems, a long-term care pharmacy provider, and led the sale of the company to PharMerica.

New York -- After months of delay and a failed bid by Dollar General, Family Dollar shareholders agreed to be acquired by Dollar Tree in a deal that creates a combined company with more than 14,000 locations, estimated annual sales of $19 billion and compelling growth opportunities.

Approval of the deal creates a new competitive dynamic in the world of extreme value retailing with the combination of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar making for a more formidable competitor to Dollar General and its nearly 12,000 stores.

Sears Holdings has a new leader for its Kmart pharmacy division. The company announced that it has hired  Phil Keough as SVP and president, pharmacy.

Keough most recently served as CEO and president of Millennium Pharmacy Systems, a long-term care pharmacy provider, and led the sale of the company to PharMerica.

In his new role with Sears Holdings, Keough will be responsible for leading the Kmart Pharmacy business unit and driving Shop Your Way member engagement to enable online and in-store growth of the company’s Health & Wellness businesses.

Washington, D.C. – An estimated 184 million viewers will watch Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, Feb. 1. According to NRF’s Super Bowl Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, average viewer spending will reach a survey high of $77.88, up from $68.27 in 2013.

Total spending is expected to reach $14.3 billion. Young adults ages 18-24 plan on spending an average of $95.92; those ages 25-34 and 35-44, however, will spend slightly more at an average of $101.54 and $102.82, respectively.

Walmart is capping off the end of its fiscal year with a flurry of activity, as the retailer is poised to open more stores in Canada.

Walmart said it will open 11 new supercenters by Jan. 29, completing its expansion for the company's current fiscal year ending Jan. 31.

These openings will bring Walmart’s total store count in Canada to 394 stores.

Louisville, Colo. -- Nordstrom ranked as consumers’ favorite fashion retailer for the third consecutive year, followed by Kohl’s, T.J. Maxx, Macy’s and Dillard’s. That’s according to a study by Market Force Information, a provider of customer intelligence solutions.

Seattle -- Starbucks Corp.’s first-quarter profit surged 82% as new offerings and holiday gave a boost to store traffic. Net income increased to $983.1 million, from $540.7 million a year earlier.

Consolidated net revenues the quarter, ended Dec. 28, increased 13% to $4.8 billion. Global same-store sales increased 5%, with a 2% increase in traffic. Same-store sales in the company’s U.S.-dominated region rose 5%, with a 2% increase in traffic, better than analysts had expected.