Sales & Marketing

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores Inc. reported Thursday that profit for the quarter ended May 26 rose 12.1% to $124.5 million, compared with $111.1 million in the year-ago period.

Sales increased 9.6% to $2.36 billion, just missing Wall Street’s forecasts of $2.37 billion in sales. Same-store sales climbed 5%.
   

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s has donated $250,000 to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts associated with the wildfires in Colorado and the flooding in Florida.

In addition to the $250,000 donation, Lowe’s is also launching a social media support program to aid disaster victims. For every Facebook Like and Twitter Retweet received on the Lowe’s disaster-specific posts, Lowe's will donate a pair of work gloves, up to a total value of $50,000, to the American Red Cross to distribute to residents and emergency officials.

Chicago -- A Thursday report by Bloomberg said that the Sprint-owned pay-as-you-go carrier Virgin Mobile will open 10 retail stores on Friday in Chicago, as part of its plan to leverage iPhone’s expansion into the prepaid wireless space.
 
With the openings, Virgin Mobile will become the second U.S. prepaid service to offer the Apple device, following the iPhone’s debut at Leap Wireless International on June 22.

NEW YORK — The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association has named Maura Regan, SVP, general manager for global consumer products at Sesame Workshop, chairperson of the board.  She had previously served as vice chairperson.

The board also announced the following changes:
 

• Rick Van Brimmer, director trademark and licensing services for The Ohio State University, was elected as LIMA’s vice chairman.  He formerly was a member of LIMA’s board.

Sam's Club was among the highest-rated companies for customer service, according to new research from the Temkin Group. Other retailers included Publix, Hy-Vee, H.E.B., ShopRite, Aldi, Giant Eagle and JCPenney.

Other companies earning top marks included Chick-fil-A, credit unions and Starbucks. Meanwhile, companies with the lowest ratings included Charter Communications, Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Citibank, Qwest, Cigna, and Bank of America.

PASADENA, Calif. — The princesses may get most of the attention, but it's the villains that often become fan favorites. To capitalize on their popularity, Disney Store has launched an exclusive collection centered around some of its most iconic evil characters.

New York -- The U.S. Supreme has just ruled that, while the individual mandate to buy health insurance is unconstitutional, this key part of President Obama’s signature healthcare law can stay as part of Congress’s power under a taxing clause.

In other words, the Supreme Court says that the government will be allowed to tax people for not having health insurance.

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s said Thursday it is donating $250,000 to the American Red Cross as part of its efforts to provide relief from the wildfires in Colorado and the flooding damage from Tropical Storm Debby in Florida. The home-improvement retailer has already been on the ground assisting local communities affected by both disasters.