Sales & Marketing

Indianapolis - The Finish Line's first-quarter net income plunged 59% amid start-up costs related to its deal to open branded in-store shops in Macy’s. But the retailer still beat Wall Street expectations. In other news, the company announced a new role for retiring president and COO, Steve Schneider.

The Finish Line earned $5.1 million for the period ended June 1, down from $12.3 million a year ago. Revenue rose 10% to $351.1 million, also beating expectations. Same-store sales were up 2.4%. 

Hicksville, N.Y. - The battle between the board of Men’s Wearhouse and its founder and former chairman, George Zimmer, continues to have a significant negative impact on the company’s online image.  According to a report by GenSent Insights, the company’s sentiment score, a measure of the tone surrounding a brand on a scale of -100 to +100, plummeted from an average of + 68 in mid-June to a low of -52.  The sentiment on Twitter alone fell from an uncommonly high score of +93 to a low of -80. 

CHICAGO — Social media powerhouse Facebook is trying go beyond baby photos and cat memes by further integrating commerce into its current platform.

While many large and small retailers already use Facebook's platform to market their wares and enhance their brand awareness, no one has set up shop on the site until now.

To counteract weak demand for conventional office products, Staples is peddling some decidedly non-traditional office products as part of an expanded assortment billed as, "summer celebration essentials."

The company is offering condiments such as ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard along with grills, coolers, bottle openers, patio furniture, salty snacks and disposable cutlery to appeal to Fourth of July shoppers.

Walnut Creek, Calif.  - In a webinar on June 27,  analysts from RSR Research presented insights gleaned from numerous retail IT-focused events they attended this past spring. Their findings focused on five key areas: next generation POS/store/commerce engine, buy side of omnichannel, user experience, high performance computing and cloud.

Shareholders of Coinstar, the company behind the ubiquitous RedBox dvd rental machines, have adopted the name Outerwall as a new corporate identify.

The name change was confirmed at the company's annual meeting of shareholder on June 27, but an official tally of voting results won’t be available until July 2.

Minneapolis - Target announced plans to open new stores in Fresno and Rocklin, Calif., in March 2014.

The Fresno store will be part of the Marketplace at El Paseo shopping center. The Rocklin store will be part of the Rocklin Commons shopping center.

The Fresno Northwest store will be approximately 140,000 sq. ft.

Janet Carter Smith was named SVP of market develop at Park City Group, a supply chain management company focused on technology solutions to enhance in-stock.

In her new role at Park City Group, Carter Smith will be responsible for developing business solutions, consulting and expanding efforts in market development.