Sales & Marketing

After receiving more than 16,000 entries online and via Facebook, Staples has opened its “Make Your Idea Happen,” contest to the public to determine the $25,000 grand prize winner.

Atlanta – The Home Depot's fifth annual Spring Black Friday starts April 3. For the next 11 days, prices on hundreds of spring products will be significantly reduced, including a variety of live goods, soils, mulches and lawn care supplies; outdoor power tools; gardening products; patio and grills.

"This spring and every season, The Home Depot aims to bring the latest tools to market to make the to-do list easier and simpler," said Dana Hudson, The Home Depot senior merchant.

The field of retail asset protection — like other aspects of the industry — is undergoing significant change as a host of complex new challenges related to data security and rapidly advancing technology join longstanding challenges related to workplace safety and shrink. 

Camp Hill, Pa. -- For the four weeks ended March 29, 2014, same-store sales at Rite Aid increased 0.7% from the prior-year period. March front-end same-store sales decreased 5%, with 4.1% of the decrease attributable to a shift in the timing of Easter, which falls on April 20 in 2014 compared to March 31 in the prior year.

Total drugstore sales for the four-week period increased 0.4% to $1.95 billion, compared to $1.94 billion for the same period last year.

By Shelley E. Kohan, VP, retail consulting, RetailNext; instructor, Fashion Institute of Technology

Consumer confidence is 10 points higher than this time last year. Spring weather forecasts show April will be warmer than average for many areas. So, how can retailers optimize sales during this season? Learning from last year’s data and trends is a great place to start.

Sam’s Club and the Gallup organization have launched a new quarterly tracking poll that focuses on the smallest of small business.

The poll is designed to look at what Sam’s is calling “microbusiness,” companies with five or fewer employees, that represent a core customer of Sam’s Club and are estimated to total 25 million.

San Jose, Calif. -- VeriFone Systems announced today that five devices in its PAYware Mobile line of EMV- enabled mobile point-of-sale (mPOS) devices have been approved by the Visa Ready Program. The program is designed to ensure that devices, software and solutions used to initiate or accept Visa payments are compatible with Visa’s requirements.
 
By adopting PAYware Mobile devices that are Visa Ready approved, merchants enjoy the benefits of secure electronic payment acceptance from virtually any location.
 

Long time Target supplier J.L. Childress said six of its products were added to Target’s in store travel assortment.

The products are geared toward parents of babies and young children and include variety of bags to simplify life for on the go parents with infants and young children in tow. J.L. Childress has items available for sale on the Target website, however, the new products carried in the stores are unique and not available online, according to the company.