Sales & Marketing

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid said that its same store sales for the week ended December 27, 2014, increased 5.3% over the prior-year period.

The drugstore chain’s pharmacy same store sales, which included an approximate 123 basis points negative impact from new generic introductions, increased 7.3%. Prescription count at comparable stores increased 5.1% over the prior-year period. Front-end sales were up 1.7%

Armonk, N.Y. – It was a very happy holiday for online and mobile retailers in 2014. According to IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark data for the 2014 holiday period (Nov. 1 - Dec. 31), online sales surged, as did mobile sales and traffic.

Online sales were up 13.9% from the same period in 2013. Mobile traffic accounted for 45% of all online traffic for the 2014 holiday season, an increase of 25.5% year-over-year. Mobile sales accounted for 22.6% of all online sales for the 2014 holiday season, an increase of 27.2% year-over-year.

Embattled teen retailer Wet Seal Inc. has defaulted on $27 million in senior convertible notes and related costs.

In a regulatory filing, Wet Seal said the total amount due is equal to $28.8 million, plus costs of collection, attorneys’ fees and disbursements.

Woonsocket, R.I. - CVS Health now offers the ScriptAbility prescription accessibility system through its mail service pharmacy to CVS/Caremark members who are blind or visually impaired. The system includes ScripTalk talking prescription labels, as well as braille and large print labels.  

As part of its ongoing strategy to drive sustainability innovation, Staples will be giving away $25,000 in new tech products to 10 “eco-focused” schools in Canada in 2015.

Publicly funded schools that are focused on the environment are invited to enter the contest atStaples.ca/PowerEco and share their eco initiatives for a chance to win. The Staples Superpower your School Contest runs through Jan. 31.

San Francisco, Calif. - Apple accounted for 51% of the new device activations worldwide during the week leading up to and including Christmas Day (Dec. 19 - 25). According to data from mobile analytics provider Flurry, Christmas Day typically sees the highest number of new device activations and app installs each year, with 2014 following the trend.

Seattle -- Nordstrom plans to open a Nordstrom Rack at Ambassador Town Center in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The 25,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in spring 2016. The more than 425,000-sq.-ft. Ambassador Town Center is a joint development of Stirling Properties and CBL & Associates Properties.

New York -- Brazilian athletic wear retailer Track & Field has opened its second U.S. store, in Brentwood, California. The retailer operates 122 stores in Brazil and opened its first U.S. store, in New York, approximately four years ago. It plans to open about 10 new stores in the United States in 2015 as part of its next phase of growth, according to Women’s Wear Daily.