Sales & Marketing

Dublin, Calif. - Ross Dress for Less will open two new stores in Hawaii on Oct. 10. The stores are located in Kukui Grove Center in Lihue, on the island of Kauai, and the Kahala Mall in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu.  

These new openings are part of the retailer’s 2014 expansion program, totaling approximately 75 new locations during the year.

Walgreens has partnered with WebMD Health for an initiative to help improve health and wellness in America by helping and incenting consumers to make healthier choices at home, work and on-the-go.
 

Seattle -- Kitchenware retailer Sur La Table has appointed industry veteran Diane Neal as its new CEO. She succeeds Jack Schwefel, who has left the company to pursue other opportunities after serving as Sur La Table’s CEO since 2007.

Neal served as CEO and president of Bath & Body Works from 2007 to 2011. She currently serves on the boards of several retail companies, including Abercrombie & Fitch Co. and Fossil Group Inc. Neal also held leadership positions at Gap and Target.

San Francisco - The RealReal, a provider of authenticated luxury consignment, has appointed Michael Groffenberger as senior category director of fine jewelry and watches. Just prior to joining The RealReal, Groffenberger was executive VP of Shreve, Crump & Low in Boston, prior to that he was a senior sales professional at Tourneau.

Groffenberger is filling a new position created by The RealReal, Groffenberger will run the department, overseeing the full-time staff of fine jewelry & watch expert authenticators.

Deerfield, Ill. – Walgreens and The Western Union Company have launched international and domestic money transfers through a new Western Union stage and pay kiosk model via the Walgreen’s Balance Financial platform. Customers can send or receive money at more than 7,650 Walgreens and Duane Reade locations in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Rite Aid reported $2 billion in sales for the four weeks ended Sept. 27, representing a 4.5% increase over the comparable year-ago period.
 
Same-store sales increased 5.1% over the prior-year period, including a 2.3% lift in front-end same-store sales and growth of 6.3% in pharmacy comparable sales. Pharmacy same-store sales included an approximate 225 basis points negative impact from new generic introductions. Prescription count at comparable stores increased 4.4% over the prior-year period.
 

New York — WebMD Health and Walgreens on Thursday announced  a partnership designed to improve health and wellness in America by helping and encouraging consumers to make healthier choices at home, work and on-the-go.
 
In the coming months, the companies will work together to provide WebMD’s virtual wellness-coaching programs directly to Walgreens customers. Walgreens will also incorporate WebMD content on a variety of health topics, co-branded by WebMD and Walgreens, into its digital experience and stores.

PowerReviews, a leading provider of ratings, reviews and question-and-answer technology, is partnering with Olapic, a visual commerce platform for collecting, curating and sharing customer photos and videos on e-commerce sites.

The companies believe their strategic partnership can help brands and retailers create more authentic and compelling e-commerce experiences by capturing and embedding user-generated content such as ratings, reviews, images and video directly into the purchase path.