Sales & Marketing

Worcester, England -- A survey released Thursday by Postcode Anywhere revealed that online security concerns, long forms and enforced sign-up are the three things most likely to make consumers abandon online purchases.

One thousand U.K. consumers were asked to name the top three reasons they might abandon their shopping online. Security concerns topped the poll, with 50% of consumers rating the factor among their top turn-offs.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid reported a 1.3% increase in same-store sales in September.

Total drugstore sales for the 30 weeks ended September 24, 2011 increased 0.9% to $14.535 billion, from $14.407 billion in last year’s like period. Prescription sales accounted for 68.4% of total drugstore sales, and third-party prescription sales was 96.4% of pharmacy sales.
 

Tempe, Ariz. -- Self-serve frozen yogurt concept Yogurtini said Thursday it will open the first of 10 stores planned for the southern Florida area.

A unit in Coral Springs, Fla., will open on Oct. 1, marking the first of 10 franchise locations through an area-development deal with Emilio and Javier Braun.

The brothers, who are based in Miami, are in the process of opening stores in Davie, Fort Lauderdale and the Hammocks Community in South Miami-Dade County.
 

Normally, it is a big deal when the vice chairman of a major company announces their retirement. Especially when said executive is only 56 and in the prime of their senior leadership years. That wasn’t the case earlier this week when Walmart announced that Eduardo Castro-Wright would be stepping down as vice chairman and CEO of the company’s global e-commerce and global sourcing businesses.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Store announced the appointment of David Cheesewright as executive VP, president and CEO of a new regional management team. In this newly created role, he will lead Walmart's retail operations in Canada, the United Kingdom and Sub-Saharan Africa, and will oversee business development in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Canada.

Cheesewright will assume his role immediately and report directly to Doug McMillon, president and CEO, Walmart International.

WASHINGTON — Halloween will be a popular holiday this year, according to the National Retail Federation, as more consumers this year are expected to partake in traditional festivities. 

Washington, D.C. -- Halloween celebrations will be booming this year as more people than ever are expected to partake in traditional festivities. According to NRF’s 2011 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey conducted by BIGresearch, seven in 10 Americans (68.6%) plan to celebrate Halloween, up from 63.8% last year and the most in NRF’s 10-year survey history.

DENVER — Quiznos will open restaurants in Meijer locations in Michigan, the quick service restaurant announced Wednesday. The relationship between Quiznos and Meijer is the most recent in a series of successful partnerships and store openings in Quiznos’ non-traditional development strategy, the company announced.