Sales & Marketing

Bethesda, Md. -- Archiecture and design firm Streetsense said Monday it has created an all-new interior design scheme for La Madeleine French Country Cafe, a national chain of French-themed fast-casual restaurants.

A 1,194-sq.-ft. restaurant using the new prototype design is now open at Northpark Center in Dallas, while another is under construction in Tulsa, Okla. La Madeleine also has engaged Streetsense to design two new stores planned for the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region, one in Tysons Corner, Va., and one in Silver Spring, Md.

Bethesda, Md. -- IBM on Monday released its Benchmark projection for online sales for the month of December, showing that online sales are expected to grow by 9.5% to 10% year-over-year.

For the week of Dec. 11, the report showed that online sales rose 10.8% over the same week in 2010. Mobile traffic increased to 12.1% of all online retailing sessions, compared with 5% over the same week last year and reflecting a 143.9% increase.

 BLOOMSBURG, Pa. — Weis Markets announced that it has raised $100,000 for Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that raises awareness and enlists public support for the needs of injured service members. The company's Bloomsburg store associates presented the check to Jeff Combs, who is a warrior outreach coordinator for Wounded Warrior Project and a former US Marine who was severely wounded while serving in Iraq.

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores said Monday that it has named Paul White as executive VP, chief merchandising officer. He will report to Michael Bloom, president and COO.

White joined Family Dollar in 2011 as senior VP, apparel, home and seasonal. Before joining the company, he served as the past president, CEO, and director of Goody’s, where he refocused the merchandising and marketing strategies on the core customer while leading the company’s exit from bankruptcy.

GREENVILLE, S.C. — BI-LO and Winn-Dixie Stores on Monday announced that the companies will merge to create an organization of approximately 690 grocery stores and 63,000 employees in eight states throughout the Southeastern United States.

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, BI-LO will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Winn-Dixie stock in the merger. Winn-Dixie shareholders will receive $9.50 in cash per share of Winn-Dixie common stock, representing a premium of approximately 75% over the closing price of Winn-Dixie common stock on Dec. 16.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores said Monday that, on the eighth day of its "12 Days of Giving" Facebook campaign, it is awarding $140,000 to nine nonprofits aiding veterans, active members of the military and their families.

Over 12 consecutive days, Walmart will award a total of $1.5 million to 145 organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Wayne, N.J. -- Toys “R” Us said Monday it will keep stores nationwide open for the 112 hours before Christmas, with doors staying open from 6 a.m. Dec. 20, to 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

This is the second consecutive year that the retailer has remained open for 24-hour shopping in the days leading up to Christmas.

The Toys “R” Us flagship in New York City’s Times Square is staying open even longer, having been open since 6 a.m. on Dec. 16 and not closing until Christmas Eve.

NEW YORK — Affinity Solutions, a provider of transaction-based marketing programs for financial institutions and retailers in the United States, announced that John Brennan has joined as VP business development.