Sales & Marketing

New York City -- Abercrombie & Fitch Co. was ordered by U.S. District Judge Gary Feinerman in Chicago to answer a class-action lawsuit by shoppers who claimed the retailer voided holiday gift cards that said they had "no expiration date," Reuters reported.

In December 2009, Abercrombie ran a promotion in which it issued nearly 200,000 gift cards valued at $25 each to shoppers who spent at least $100 on a single purchase.

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus is testing a new iPhone-only app that allows customers to interact more directly with sales associates. The new app, called NM Service, is being tested in four stores this spring – Dallas;San Francisco; Austin, Texas; and Palo Alto, Calif.

Developed by Signature, NM Service has two interfaces: one for customers and one for sales associates. Each is designed to provide a more personal, mobile shopping experience for the Neiman Marcus customer.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Stein Mart Inc. reported Thursday that its net income fell to $5.7 million for the fiscal fourth quarter, down from $18.8 million last year. The chain said it was returning to its strategy of emphasizing everyday low prices after heavy coupon promotions took a toll on the retailer's financial performance during the past year.

Revenue for the quarter ended Jan. 28 was down nearly 3% to $328.1 million, from $336.7 million. Same-store sales were down 2.2%.

New York -- The Denmark-based Lego group will open a Lego store in Atlanta on March 16.

The new store will be located in the Discover Mills outlet center. The space will feature such elements as a “Pick-A-Brick-Wall,” allowing shoppers to select and purchase specific individual Lego bricks in a variety of colors and shapes.
 

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.

Target ranked 25th on Fortune’s listing of the 50 Most Admired Companies, which is the lowest level in the past six years. The decline could be viewed as troubling, but only if you buy into the notion that the list is the definitive report card on corporate reputations.

It is not, at least as far as retailers are concerned. In 2011 and 2010, Target was ranked 22nd, down from 2009 when it was ranked 19th and considerably below 2008 when it nearly broke into the top 10 with a ranking of 11th after a ranking of 13th in 2007.

Secaucus, N.J. — The Children's Place Retail Stores reported a drop in fourth-quarter net income. Children's Place also reported a drop in income from continuing operations after tax to $24.2 million, from $32.7 million in the year-ago period. The company said that comparable-store sales for the quarter declined 2.7%, and net sales were up only slightly (0.9%) to $457.5 million, from $453.2 million for fourth quarter 2010.

The chain said fourth-quarter sales performance was negatively impacted by the unseasonably warm weather this winter.

NEW YORK — Foot Locker is embarking on an aggressive strategic plan designed to elevate its performance for the 2012 to 2016 period.