Sales & Marketing

Arlington, Va. -- A statement by The Retail Industry Leaders Association regarding President Obama’s 2014 budget proposal was issued Wednesday, saying, “While we applaud the President for recognizing the urgent need for revenue neutral corporate tax reform, his proposal falls short of the bold reforms needed.” said Bill Hughes, SVP government affairs.  

New York -- OfficeMax and Office Depot on Tuesday announced they have formed a search committee to select a CEO for the combined company. They also said they have received a request for more information from the Federal Trade Communication about their planned merger.

DALLAS — AT&T has partnered with mobile engagement solutions provider, Scanbuy to help businesses launch more engaging QR code campaigns. 

Working with Scanbuy, a global provider of mobile engagement solutions, the enhanced features include the ability to:

• Execute creative campaigns with codes that can help trigger actions such as link to a video, prompt a phone call, or generate an email.

Wallingford, Conn. -- Edible Arrangements has set its sights on the Pacific Northwest for an aggressive expansion campaign designed to open as many as 30 new locations in the near future.
 
Edible Arrangements already has 10 locations in Oregon and Washington and sees significant opportunity for growth, which will be accomplished through franchising. Most of the growth will be focused in the Seattle, Tacoma and Portland areas and the company is currently seeking franchisees with the resources to open multiple locations.
 

NEW YORK — Myron E. (Mike) Ullman has rejoined Penney as CEO, effective immediately, replacing Ron Johnson, who is leaving the company. Ullman, who served as CEO of Penney until late 2011, has also been elected to the board of directors.

Johnson’s departure was not all that unexpected given the chain’s mounting losses and sales declines. But it was still a stunning reversal of fortune for the former golden boy of Apple, who left the tech giant amid great fanfare for the top job at Penney.

FREMONT, Calif. — Men’s Wearhouse has taken its in-store experience online, with the launch of a new monile website that enables users to browse offerings, find stores and even design a tuxedo with the Build-A-Tux feature, which allows users to choose from 96 different vest and bowtie colors and customize their tux with the aid of pre-styled looks that are easily saved for later or shared with friends and family.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Women are taking fashion into their own hands, according to a new study from T.J.Maxx and Dr. Hazel Clark, research chair of fashion at Parsons The New School for Design.

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp. announced its retail services business has signed a long-term agreement to provide private label credit card services for Barneys New York.