Sales & Marketing

The economic challenges sweeping the country have been tough, but, like most things in life, it’s not the challenging times that define you, but what you do during them. For leaders in the retail industry the last few years have led to great innovation, providing the retail industry every opportunity to reinvent in areas across their operations including in the area of environmental sustainability. 

Chelmsford, Mass. -- Kronos said Tuesday that its latest Kronos Retail Labor Index, which characterized the current state of the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector for the month of August, was unchanged from the month prior. The index, which defines the ratio of hires to applicants within a given month, expressed as a percentage, was unchanged at 3.5% in August 2011, as both hires and applications increased slightly, all on a seasonally adjusted basis.

SAN ANTONIO — H-E-B announced that it has launched an early childhood literacy initiative to help educate Texas parents and caregivers about the importance of reading to children a minimum of three times per week and to provide families with the tools and resources they need to prepare their early learners for school.

New York City -- Walgreens said same-store sales rose 5.6% in August, better than expectations, helped by a calendar day shift.

Same-store front-end sales  rose 4.8%, while same-store pharmacy sales rose 5.2% in August. Overall, net sales rose 7.8%, to $6.1 billion. Total sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, which ended Aug. 31, were $17.94 billion, up 6.4% from the year-ago period.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Eastman Kodak Company announced that it had entered into an exclusive offering with HSN to sell the Kodak Easyshare Touch M5370 Digital Camera on Sept. 4 to celebrate 100 Million cameras sold over the last fifteen years.  The camera was available at a special price on HSN for $149.95 including free shipping through Sunday, Sept. 4.  

NEW YORK — Lord & Taylor unveiled a new concept called Lord & Taylor Home on Friday, at Fashion Center shopping center in Paramus, N.J.  A second location, in Shrewsbury, N.J., is expected to open in several weeks. Lord & Taylor is owned by NRDC Equity Partners, which also owns Canada’s Hudson Bay Co.

Philadelphia -- According to a survey released Tuesday by global management consultancy Hay Group, 68% of retailers expect holiday sales to increase this year. However, hiring plans remain conservative, with 67% of retailers hiring at the same level as last year and 25% hiring fewer seasonal workers.

PURCHASE, N.Y. — The apparel, e-commerce, grocery, and luxury segments all showed continued growth in August, as the hardware, restaurant, and automotive repair sectors returned to positive territory, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, a macroeconomic report tracking national retail and services sales.