Sales & Marketing

Walmart is guilty of greenwashing to enhance it corporate reputation, and it would take the company three centuries at the current pace to reach its goal of being supplied 100% by renewable energy, according to a group critical of Walmart sustainability efforts that others have lauded.

New York -- McDonald’s, Whole Foods Market and Best Buy are among the retailers participating in a new American Express program that allows shoppers to load discounts onto their American Express cards via Twitter.

NEW YORK — Kohl’s Department Stores has opened eight new stores, bringing approximately 1,000 new jobs nationwide. The company now operates 1,134 stores in 49 states.

The new stores are located in seven states, including Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Of the eight locations, seven are small format stores with approximately 64,000 sq. ft. or less of retail space, providing greater real estate flexibility.

San Francisco -- Williams-Sonoma Inc.’s fiscal fourth-quarter net income rose 8%, boosted by strong performances from its Pottery Barn and West Elm brands. The company also announced that COO and CFO Sharon McCollam, 48, has retired.

Although the home-furnishings retailer’s results beat Wall Street estimates, it offered fiscal 2012 earnings guidance that was slightly below what analysts expect. Its revenue forecast for the year was above analysts' estimates.

The most exciting news coming to Target stores this year isn’t some new designer exclusive or enhancement to REDcard Rewards, but rather a return to operational normalcy as the PFresh remodeling program winds down. This phenomenon won’t generate the same publicity as a Jason Wu pop-up store, but the impact on shoppers and sales promises to be greater.

Seattle -- Starbucks will open its largest location in Europe, in the center of Amsterdam, on March 9. The 4,500-sq.-ft. store is located in the vault of the historic Amsterdamsche Bank, a landmark building on Amsterdam’s famous Rembrandt Square.

New York -- Kohl’s Department Stores announced the opening of eight stores, bringing approximately 1,000 new jobs nationwide. The company now operates 1,134 stores in 49 states.

The new stores are located in seven states, including Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Of the eight locations, seven are small format stores with approximately 64,000 sq. ft. or less of retail space, providing greater real estate flexibility.

New York -- DSW Inc. has opened on 34th Street in Manhattan, in the heart of New York's fashion district. The retailer also announced plans to open a store on the Upper West Side in early summer 2012.

At over 33,000 sq. ft., the 34th Street location is the one of the largest in the DSW chain. It has three floors of selling space. The DSW store at 79th and Broadway will also be very large, measuring over 32,000 sq. ft.
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