Sales & Marketing

By Derek Warburton, [email protected]

Rockaway, N.J. — iParty's 28 stores in Massachusetts have officially transitioned to the Party City brand name and will offer a larger selection of party supplies, decorations and costumes. The retailer says it timed the transition for the upcoming Halloween holiday.

Reston, Va. -- Online shoppers in the U.S. lead the world in customer satisfaction. According to the latest UPS Pulse of the Online Shopper report released in conjunction with comScore, Inc., shoppers in the U.S. are the most satisfied with online shopping experiences at 83%, while consumers in the Asia Pacific are least satisfied at only 50%.

New York -- Canada’s Loblaw Cos. announced a series of executive appointments, including the naming of Mark Butler as executive VP integration.

In the newly created role, Butler will take on responsibility for planning the integration of Shoppers Drug Mart, while ensuring it remains an independent division. He has 37 years with Loblaw, and most recently was executive VP conventional division.

Mobile commerce leader Shopgate has unveiled a new flexible pricing model that enables online merchants to set their own pricing for Shopgate's m-commerce solutions. 

The new pricing allows e-commerce stores to customize their minimum contract period, fees and mobile integration to conveniently enter a rapidly growing mobile shopping market.

New York -- J.C. Penney on Thursday shot back at reports that its sales were weak in the late August and early September back-to-school season and said it was pleased with the progress of its turnaround efforts.

The company said it still expected positive comparable-store sales trends coming out of the third quarter and throughout the fourth, adding that its online sales continue to rise in double-digits over last year.

J.C. Penney is looking to raise $750 million to $1 billion in cash equity. According to Reuters, J.C. Penney, which is valued at $2.6 billion, is considering issuing new stock shares as well as other unspecified alternatives.

Union, N.J. – Bed, Bath & Beyond, Inc. reported year-over-year increases in net income, net sales and same-store sales during the second quarter of fiscal 2013. Net income grew about 18%, to $249.3 million from $224.3 million.