Sales & Marketing

San Jose, Calif. -- VeriFone Systems said Tuesday that The Finish Line is deploying VeriFone’s latest mobile checkout and multimedia-driven countertop payment solutions.

Following a successful trial, Finish Line is currently deploying VeriFone systems chainwide with the goal of having all 638 locations equipped by mid-November when the holiday buying season begins. Finish Line is deploying 1,600 of the countertop multimedia MX 915 systems and 3,200 PAYware Mobile Enterprise secure mobile card acceptance devices for the iPod touch.

WASHINGTON — The air is getting colder and retailers are already gearing up for the Christmas season, but before they do that, they will have to get through Halloween.

New York -- A holiday preview report released Tuesday by the International Council of Shopping Centers said that sales are forecasted to rise 3% during the traditional November-December 2012 holiday period.

Additionally, ICSC said it anticipates that the other two measures of U.S. industry holiday sales – shopping-center sales and GAFO-store sales – will increase slightly as well.  

Wayne, N.J. -- Toys “R” Us said Tuesday it will hire 45,000 seasonal employees for the 2012 holiday season, about 5,000 more than last year.
 
The increase, said the retailer, is driven in part by the addition of positions resulting from omnichannel programs such as "Buy Online, Pick Up In Store," "Ship from Store" and "Ship to Store."

Foothill Ranch, Calif. -- On the heels of activist investor The Clinton Group’s announced plans to replace some of Wet Seal’s board members, the retailer is advising its shareholders against supporting the move.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Summer Infant, a juvenile products manufacturer, today has retained Sharon Merrill (www.InvestorRelations.com), a nationally recognized investor relations and corporate communications firm based in Boston, to provide strategic investor relations services.

Little Rock, Ark. -- Shelf-edge communications and marketing services provider Vestcom said Tuesday that regional supermarket chain Belle Foods has expanded its existing partnership with Vestcom to promote a customized nutrition program based on the grocer’s health and wellness goals.

New York -- IPG Real Estate said Monday that Amish Market, a landmark Manhattan gourmet market located in the Midtown neighborhood of TriBeCa, is being offered for sale in hopes of an offer prior to an auction slated for November 2012.

The supermarket/deli features 7,500 sq. ft., including 1,000 sq. ft. of mezzanine, supported by 2,000 sq. ft. of basement space. An initial review by a court-appointed Chapter 11 trustee verified $8.2 million in sales from a September 2011 to an August 2012 time period.