Sales & Marketing

Shopko plans to open two new Shopko Hometown stores. The stores, which will average 36,000 sq. ft., are located in Mayville, Wis., and Valentine, Neb.

The Shopko Hometown retail format, developed to augment Shopko’s larger store model and focused on serving the needs of smaller rural communities, combines retail health services with a broad offering of national brands and high-value private label brands of apparel, home furnishings, toys, consumer electronics, seasonal items, every day consumable items and lawn and garden products.

Washington, D.C. -- The average holiday shopper had completed half (49.9%) of their shopping, slightly less than the 56.5% they’d completed by this time last year, boding well for retailers who are preparing for a very big holiday shopping weekend, according to the National Retail Federation’s latest holiday survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics. Specifically, 32 million or 14% say they have not even started, while another 20 million, or 8.9%  say they are already finished.

By Rajashree R, Tata Consultancy Services

Safeway has made enhancements to its online grocery shopping website to make it more accessible and usable for Safeway shoppers with visual impairments.

Safeway collaborated with its visually impaired customers to make the necessary changes to its website. As such, the company has adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.0 level AA as its accessibility standard.

Corte Madera, Calif. – Restoration Hardware grew its net income an impressive 389% to $13 million from $2.7 million in the same period a year earlier. Net revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2013 increased 39% to $395.8 million from $284.2 million, while same-store sales increased 29%.

Gary Friedman, chairman and co-CEO of Restoration Hardware, credited net revenue growth and advertising savings as factors driving the company’s net income increase. The strong quarterly financial performance exceeded Wall Street expectations.

The Coca-Cola Company is making management and organizational changes to Coca-Cola Americas as part of its agenda to accelerate growth.

The company, which reorganized its operating structure last year, is taking further steps to streamline its focus and expedite its refranchising to independent bottling partners.

Effective Jan. 1, 2014, the integrated North America business will be segmented into a traditional company and bottler operating model that will consist of two operating units: Coca-Cola North America and Coca-Cola Refreshments.

Boston — Boylston Properties and The Wilder Companies have completed phase one of the redevelopment of the Arsenal Mall in Watertown, Mass.The companies marked the occasion by announcing a new name for the mall: The Arsenal Project.

Completed enhancements to The Arsenal Project include a reconfigured interior layout with new seating, upgrades to the building’s exterior and landscaping. Oversized metal tree-planters now line Arsenal Street, the center’s entrance and other areas throughout the development.

J.C. Penny will eliminate the jcp menswear brand and reduce the assortments in its Joe Fresh, Michael Graves and Martha Stewart lines, Reuters reported.

All four brands were introduced by former CEO Ron Johnson. Penney plans to use the resulting space to emphasize its exclusive private-label brands.

Starting in January, Penney will shrink its Joe Fresh in-store shops and reduce the assortment, the report said, moving the shops away from the front entry to give a more prominent spot to the chain’s own a.n.a and jcp women's wear collections.