Sales & Marketing

New York City -- Facebook will announce that it is adding a “Want” button to its wall during its developers conference later this week, according to techcrunch.com.

The launch of the new social commerce button will be accompanied by the addition of several other buttons, including “Read,” “Listened” or “Watched”  various pieces of content.
 

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys"R"Us announced that it plans to hire more than 40,000 employees to staff its U.S. stores and distribution centers this holiday season, as the company anticipates another busy Christmas across all of its shopping channels. This number is in line with previous years, when the company hired between 35,000 and 45,000 seasonal workers. Throughout the coming months, the company said it will continue to assess its staffing needs and add more employees, as necessary.

This fall, Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group will bring high-energy runway shows and events to shoppers across the nation with “Simon Fashion Now,” a series of free events held at select Simon shopping centers.

Earlier in September, Simon Fashion Now kicked off in Houston – at The Galleria – and the tour will continue at Simon properties in Boca Raton, Fla. (Town Center at Boca Raton); Burlington, Mass. (Burlington Mall); Garden City, N.Y. (Roosevelt Field); and Charlotte, N.C. (SouthPark).

Union N.J. -- Bed Bath & Beyond reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended Aug. 27 rose 26% to $229.4 million, amid improved sales and contained costs. Sales for the quarter rose 8.3% to $2.3 billion, and same-store sales increased 5.6%.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation said Thursday it welcomed legislation that would require the State Department to speed up the visa application process for citizens from three key countries, saying the move would make it easier for tourists and business travelers to spend money in U.S. stores.

San Diego -- At its first Smarter Commerce Global Summit, IBM announced a range of wins with clients across global industries. By deploying solutions for Smarter Commerce, these clients are capitalizing on rapid shifts in customer demand, improving their performance and appeal to new digital age consumers, IBM said.

NEW YORK — Teen retailer Aeropostale announced that it is expanded its reach to international consumers. Through a partnership with FiftyOne Global Ecommerce, consumers in more than 90 countries worldwide can now purchase directly from Aeropostale.com.

New York City -- Macy's is reducing the size of its store in downtown Pittsburgh from nine floors of retail space to six (plus a mezzanine).

The company has been moving some departments to lower floors since early this year. The store will remain open during the renovations.

"The store is being reconfigured for better flow among departments, making shopping easier and more convenient," the company said in a statement.