Sales & Marketing

PHILADELPHIA — Leading automotive aftermarket service and retail chain the Pep Boys has acquired 17 discount tire centers in Southern California from AKH Company, Inc.

The tire centers are located throughout the greater Los Angeles market, from Bakersfield to Orange County. They will re-open on September 12 under the Pep Boys banner and provide full-service vehicle maintenance and repair, including brand-name and private-label replacement tires.

Nature's Sunshine Products, a leading natural health and wellness company, has appointed former Clorox executive Beth Springer, to the company's board of directors.

"We are excited to welcome Beth Springer to our board of directors," said Gregory L. Probert, Nature's Sunshine chairman and CEO. "Beth brings significant, broad operational and financial experience to Nature's Sunshine and the board that I know will benefit the company and its shareholders. We look forward to her guidance and strategic thinking as a member of the board."

Beauty.com is offering a free gift as an incentive for shoppers to spend at least $100 on the site. The Heartbeat Bag, developed by the creative force behind New York fashion line, Honor, is a clutch filled with products.

The black cosmetics case is clad in white hearts and has white lining dotted with black hearts. Shoppers can store beauty products in the translucent pink windows. The inside and outside of the clutch are waterproof.

Mom Brands will be making a donation to the Breakfast Club of Canada. For every bag of Sally’s ready-to-eat cereals purchased at Canadian Walmart stores from now until Dec. 31, Mom Brands will donate 5 cents to the Breakfast Club of Canada, up to $75,000.

Walmart and Sam’s Club executives are scheduled to participate at several events in Northwest Arkansas in the coming weeks designed to educate the company’s suppliers on digital strategies.

San Francisco -- Brooks Brothers has opened its second largest store in North America, a 26,000-sq.-ft. flagship in San Francisco’s Union Square. 

The interior takes inspiration from Brooks Brothers’ nearly 100-year-old flagship at 346 Madison Avenue in New York City. In keeping with the atmosphere of the New York space, the first floor of the new store is covered in pale cherry wood. The women’s floor is accented with clean white paneling and marble floors. The mezzanine holds the Red Fleece label for men and women.

Small businesses have long been a core customer group at Sam’s Club, so much so that at one point the retailer’s tag line was, “in business for small business.” It makes sense then that Sam’s would invest in a program that promotes entrepreneurship and for that the nation should be thankful.

Lynnwood, Wash. -- Action sports retailer Zumiez reported net income of $4.7 million for the quarter ended Aug. 3, compared with $2.1 million a year earlier. Sales surged 16.9% to $157.9 million, and same-store sales edged up 0.9%.