Sales & Marketing

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. — Jim McGinty, CFO of teen retailer, Hot Topic, has resigned from the company, effective March 29, the company announced Monday. George Wehlitz, VP, Finance, will serve as the interim CFO.

“We are grateful for Jim’s committed service to the company over the past 12 years and wish him well in the next phase of his career,” said Lisa Harper, chairman and CEO of Hot Topic.

San Francisco -- Westfield San Francisco Centre is partnering with the Asian Art Museum, Bloomingdale’s and M.Y. China to celebrate the Chinese New Year with music and dance performances, storytelling, live cooking demonstrations, zodiac readings and more – all launching in January.

DALLAS —Tuesday Morning reported that for the second quarter, the company's net sales increased 4.5% to $285.3 million, from $273.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2012.

The company reportd that its net loss for the quarter was $21.5 million, or 51 cents per share.  The company reported net income of $15.9 million or 37 cents per share in the second quarter of fiscal 2012. 

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s is gearing up for increased demand this spring, by hiring approximately 45,000 seasonal employees at its stores in the United States. The company will also add 9,000 permanent part-time employees.

Seasonal jobs available are focused on customer support and include cashiers, lawn and garden specialists, loaders, and stockers. The number of hours worked per week will vary based on the needs of individual stores, but, on average, seasonal employees could work an estimated 20 to 25 hours per week.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s Corp. announced a $2 million donation to Discovery World in Milwaukee, over three years to continue support for Kohl’s Design It!, an educational program allowing kids to use advanced technology to turn design into reality. The donation comes from the Kohl’s Cares cause merchandise program which sells special merchandise, including plush toys and books, and donates 100% of the net profit to benefit children’s health and education initiatives nationwide.

YONKERS, N.Y. — American Sugar Refining, Inc., the world's largest supplier of refined sugar, has a new corporate brand name. ASR Group will now encompass its leading brands and affiliated companies, which include Domino Sugar.

AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands — Dutch retailer Ahold reported that sales at its U.S. operations rose 4.3% to $6.1 billion during the fourth quarter, thanks to efforts to keep stores open during Hurricane Sandy.

Identical-store sales for U.S. stores rose 2.4%, and comparable-store sales were up 2.8% during the fourth quarter.

Net sales at U.S. stores for the year increased 3.1% to $25.8 billion. Idents rose 1.4% for the year, while comps were up 1.9%, 

The Grocery Manufacturers Association inducted J. M. Smucker Company chairman Tim Smucker and Wegmans CEO Danny Wegman into its Hall of Achievement and presented Harris Teeter president and COO Fred Morganthall the award for Industry Collaboration Leadership.