Sales & Marketing

Starbucks Corp. has opened its first company-operated store at Walt Disney World Resort, a nearly 4,000-sq.-ft. site at Downtown Disney West Side in Orlando, Florida.

Gamers who can’t make it to Anaheim, California, this fall for GameStop’s third annual Expo will still be able to participate in the retailer’s event thanks to a new relationship with Twitch, the world’s leading online gaming community.

GameStop and Twitch, a video platform with a massive audience, reached an agreement in which Twitch will broadcast live from GameStop’s annual video gaming show known as Expo. The event will be held September 10 and occupies 300,000 sq. ft. at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Plano, Texas -- Reporting to Joel Mussat, executive VP and chief omnichannel officer, Rent-A-Center, Ian Cohen has been charged with working cross-functionally to create a seamless approach to the consumer experience across a variety of shopping channels. His responsibilities include the design, development, and implementation of a digital-commerce solution that ensures customer demands are met.

Former AutoNation CFO Michael Short will become the new CFO at Toy’s “R” Us on June 23 to replace Clay Creasey who left the retailer after eight years.

New York -- Coach plans to shutter about 70 underperforming stores in fiscal 2015, Crain’s New York reported. The retailer, which has been under heavy competitive pressure from Michael Kors and other upscale companies, also gave a disappointing revenue forecast for its current fiscal year.
   

New York - B2B Soft, a business-to-business software company specializing in retail management for the wireless/cellular retail industry, is partnering with QLess, a provider of line management solutions. QLess’ virtual line management service is now integrated with B2B Soft’s Wireless Standard Retail Management Platform.

Omnichannel pricing solution provider Clear Demand and pricing intelligence leader 360pi have formed a partnership to put powerful new capabilities into the hands of retailers.

New York – L’Oreal Paris is releasing Makeup Genius, a free mobile app that uses advanced facial mapping technology to turn the front-facing iPhone and iPad camera into a virtual mirror that allows women to try on products in real-time. Makeup Genius allows consumers to scan a L'Oreal Paris product or advertisement to detect a color match, virtually try on individual products or test out curated looks from expert makeup artists, and share with friends and family on Facebook.