Sales & Marketing

Restoration Hardware Holdings chairman and CEO Gary Friedman lauded the company’s performance in the fourth quarter and fiscal 2013, saying that RH continued to outperform the home furnishings industry by a wide margin.

Washington, D.C. -- Consumers opened up their pocketbooks a bit in February, according to figures released Friday by the U.S. Commerce Department. Consumer spending increased 0.3% last month after a downwardly revised gain of 0.2% in January. The February increase was the biggest since November.

Personal income was up 0.3%, matching January's gain. It was the second straight monthly increase.

Columbus, Ohio – Lane Bryant opens two new stores in Marlton, N.J., and Odessa, Texas on March 28. The New Jersey store is located at Willow Bridge Plaza and the Texas store is located at Chimney Rock.

Lane Bryant operates 775 stores nationwide and also operates an e-commerce site.

Oak Brook, Ill. – McDonald’s is offering free McCafe coffee is available during breakfast hours starting March 31 through April 13 in participating restaurants. To kick off the two-week campaign, McDonald's will host "Make Friends with McCafe" sampling events at high traffic locations and transportation hubs in multiple cities across the country.

Time Inc.'s All You brand is expanding its newsstand distribution beginning with the April 2014 issue, already in newsstands.

In addition to being sold at Walmart, All You will be available at most major retail chains across the country including supermarkets, drugstores and bookstores like Kroger, Publix, Safeway, Target, CVS, Walgreens and Barnes & Noble, in addition to being sold by subscription. This expansion follows a successful rollout across retailers in the Southeast market that began last June.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. filed suit with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas suing Visa for $5 billion, alleging that the financial services company overcharges on the credit and debit card swipe fees it charges retailer.

The suit claims that Visa colluded with banks to fix swipe fees between January 2004 and November 2012, forcing it to raise prices and reduce customer service, resulting in lost retail sales.

Mars Chocolate’s global president Grant F. Reid has been named by the company’s board of directors as president, effective Jan. 2, 2015. Reid will take over for current Mars president Paul S. Michaels, who plans to retire at the end of the year.

Oceanside, Calif. — Doerken Properties Inc. has acquired Flags on Mission Shopping Center in Oceanside, Calif., for $12.6 million. El Super grocery and dd’s Discounts anchor the 107,600-sq.-ft. property.

The Carlsbad, Calif., office of Lee & Associates brokered the transaction representing both the buyer and the seller, Mission Avenue Investors.