Sales & Marketing

Washington, D.C. -- Adam Brothman,  chief digital officer of Starbucks, Melissa Reiff, president and COO of The Container Store, Rick Caruso, founder and CEO of Caruso Affiliated, and Greg Buzek, co-founder of the Retail Orphan Initiative (RetailROI) and president of IHL Goup are among the 25 individuals recognized by the NRF Foundation on its “The List of People Shaping Retail’s Future.”

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) announced that Jennifer Safavian has joined the association as executive VP for government affairs, effective Jan. 5. As RILA’s top lobbyist, Safavian will oversee RILA’s federal and state advocacy, guiding an agenda that includes cyber security, e-Fairness, tax reform and other critical issues facing the retail industry.

New York -- Closing out the 2014 holiday shopping season, Internet retail traffic soared to new heights during the first weekend in January, according to Verizon Enterprise Solutions’ Retail Index.

The Index measures average daily traffic and peak volumes, with both variables used an index with a baseline value of 100. The Index was 130 on Friday (Jan. 2), 134 on Saturday (Jan. 3) and 137 points on Sunday (Jan 4).

By Greg Van den Heuvel, Pitney Bowes Software

Black Friday traditionally marks the first day of the holiday shopping season. During the most recent holiday season, millions of Americans have participated in the shopping frenzy, which according to CMO.com, accounts for nearly 40% of all annual sales. Black Friday weekend alone accounted for 133 million American shoppers, diving deep into discounts, hoping to land the best deal and get a head start on their holiday shopping.

An incentive of up to $25 is being offered by Sam’s Club as part of a multifaceted initiative to increase membership, drive sales, promote social media awareness and procure email addresses.

New York -- A federal judge recommended approval of a revised settlement of a lawsuit that challenged the pay of former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries. The action comes three months after a different judge rejected a settlement that appeared to offer few benefits to the company and “broadly released shareholders' claims," Reuters reported.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association announced that Jennifer Safavian has joined the organization as Executive Vice President for Government Affairs.

As RILA’s top lobbyist, Safavian will oversee RILA’s federal and state advocacy, guiding an agenda that includes cyber security, e-fairness, tax reform and other critical issues facing the retail industry.

Washington, D.C. – Restaurant operators continued to hold a sunny outlook even as the weather turned gray in November. The Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 102.1 in November, down slightly from its October level of 102.8.