Sales & Marketing

 New York — YogaWorks has begun construction on its first location in Brooklyn. The new studio will encompass 5,800 sq. ft. in the new Brooklyn Heights Plaza on Joralemen Street. Set to open next spring, this will mark YogaWorks 28th location. It will include two large, lofty studios with 13 ft. ceilings. One studio will feature a specially designed lyengar yoga wall, spa-like locker rooms complete with showers and towel service plus a lifestyle boutique and tea bar.

Purchase, N.Y. -- MasterCard has partnered with Wired magazine to offer a one-touch shopping experience, right from their iOS device. This “in-content purchasing” concept allows readers to buy the products they are reading about right from the pages of editorial or ads.

By Doug Brown

With the use of smartphones and other mobile devices continuing to grow, more and more merchants are looking for a way to capitalize on a communication device that many people never put down. And, as the leaders in this area are finding, mobile loyalty and payment incentive programs possess many benefits for chain stores.

Tie mobile and incentives together

HoneyBaked is preparing for its annual holiday rush on its signature Honey Baked Hams, Turkey Breasts and full assortment of premium products by providing part-time jobs for thousands of people nationwide.

The company is adding more than 10,000 part-time jobs for the holidays. Many of these seasonal employees return year after year, according to HoneyBaked.

New York -- American Express Serve announced a free nationwide cash load network and the addition of new money management capabilities to its full-service reloadable prepaid account. The new features enable Serve customers to load cash for free at more Than 14,000 participating CVS/pharmacy and 7-Eleven stores

The new features include: direct deposit, bill pay, mobile check capture, and personal financial management tools. These enhancements are designed to meet the needs of the nearly 70 million Americans underserved by traditional financial services.

Sales trends at J.C. Penney are improving and year end liquidity is now expected to exceed $2 billion following a recent stock offering, the company said Tuesday morning during an uncharacteristic mid-quarter update on its operating performance.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. on Tuesday said that it was making “solid progress” in its turnaround as it reported a smaller decline in same-store sales for September, compared to August. The company also said it expects that it will have ample liquidity at year end.

While Penney’s September same-store sales fell 4% over the same month last year, they showed an improvement of 580 basis points compared with August.

Sears and its Shop Your Way loyalty program are prepared to make a splash in New York next week by playing a major role in the city’s Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine.

New York’s premier culinary event will be held October 18-20 and Sears and Shop Your Way are expanding their presence this year and plan to showcase stylish and affordable lines of patio furniture, Kenmore grills and indoor and outdoor entertainment with Sears designer and TV personality Ty Pennington.