Sales & Marketing

Irving, Texas -- Three months after the country’s largest arts and crafts chain revealed that its namesake and subsidiary stores had been hacked in what promised to be a major payment card security breach, Michaels Stores revealed late Thursday that 2.6 million cards were likely affected in the attack.

Around the globe, sellers from country A who promote their products as “Made in country A” are quick to point out that country A products are known for their quality, even by buyers from country C.

Deerfield, Ill. -- The rapid adoption of Walgreens’ Balance Rewards loyalty program, with nearly 80 million members, has earned the chain a ranking among top business technology innovators in the U.S.

Walgreens is ranked No. 60 on the 2014 InformationWeek Elite 100.

Tractor Supply this week promoted Lee Downing to EVP, store operations. In conjunction with his promotion, Downing will assume added leadership responsibilities for the company's real estate team.

Downing will also be responsible for the strategic new store site selection, facilitation of store openings and ongoing maintenance, in addition to other real estate functions. He joined Tractor Supply October 2010 as SVP, store operations.

Seattle -- REI has committed to having all of its electricity from renewable sources. The retailer already has 26 solar electric systems generating clean power and a program designed to invest in energy efficiency. Now, REI is buying certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) as part of its strategy to green the energy that powers more than 130 stores, two distribution centers and its headquarters.

Most U.S. retailers make their first international foray in contiguous markets such as Canada or Mexico for obvious reasons. However, for those interested in massive growth potential who have a long term perspective a more exotic market beckons.

Michaels assured customers a previously disclosed data security issue had been fully contained and raised the disconcerting prospect that it is only possible to make such a claim after a breach has been detected.

The company said in January that it learned of possible fraudulent activity on some U.S. payment cards that had been used at it stores. An extensive investigation ensued that involved two independent security firms who, along with the company, worked closely with law enforcement authorities, banks and payment processors to determine what happened.

 San Mateo, Calif. – Social media monitoring and management software provider Viralheat is adding integration with the Salesforce Desk.com customer support app to its analytics platform. Viralheat is designed to allow businesses to perform all of their social content needs within a single social management platform.