Sales & Marketing

SEATTLE — Banana Republic and Google Offers, a coupon incentive program, are joining with Starbucks and Opportunity Finance Network to support the Create Jobs for USA program.

The pair, which are the first businesses to join Starbucks in the initiative, will run special promotions and make donations in support of the program that is designed to raise money to put Americans back to work.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN announced Monday it has acquired lifestyle brand Chasing Fireflies. Terms of the transaction weren’t disclosed.

The purchase, which was made through the multichannel retailer’s Cornerstone Brands segment, will accelerate HSN’s move into content-driven lifestyle businesses.

New York -- American Express Co. has become the first company to pull its gift cards from being sold in New Jersey drug stores, supermarkets and convenience stores in response to a controversial new revision in the state's unclaimed property law. (The only way New Jersey residents can now buy AmEx gift cards is directly from the company.)

Sandusky, Ohio -- Youngstown, Ohio-based The Cafaro Co. said Tuesday that cosmetics retailer Ulta will open a store at its Sandusky Mall property, located in Sandusky, Ohio.

Ulta’s new 11,000-sq.-ft. store is slated to open in the fourth quarter, bringing the Pavilion section of the complex to 100% occupancy.

The 1+ million-sq.-ft. mall is anchored by Macy’s, Elder-Beerman, Sears, J.C. Penney, Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods, and features more than 90 other specialty shops. 

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — TJX's board of directors has raised the company's quarterly dividend by 21% from the last dividend paid. The board declared a regular quarterly dividend in the amount of 11.5 cents per share, payable May 31 to shareholders of record on May 10.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- A study released Tuesday by customer feedback management firm CFI Group found that social media may be blunting the impact of negative word-of-mouth.

According to the findings of its annual Call Center Satisfaction Index, CFI Group said that social media commentary after a call center experience can have a counter-intuitive impact.

Miami -- Jones Lang LaSalle is enhancing the retail services it offers by adding boots on the ground in select local markets across the country, beginning with Florida. The firm will intensify its resources at the local level, leveraging its retail tenant solutions (RTS) capabilities – formerly known as Corporate Retail Solutions – to provide local market retail tenant representation services.

SEATTLE — Recreational Equipment Inc. has promoted Bill Baumann and Brad Brown to SVP information technology, and e-commerce and direct sales respectively. In addition, Kathleen Peterson has been named VP REI Private Brands.