Sales & Marketing

Indianapolis -- Hhgregg announced that it will open a 31,000-sq.-ft. store in Myrtle Beach, S.C., on May 5.

Like all Hhgregg locations, the new Myrtle Beach store will showcase over 100 digital TVs and has more than 500 major appliances in stock every day.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Sears Holdings will host its annual meeting on May 4, and attendees present will likely want to know how the company plans to improve sales and return to profitability under the leadership of its new CEO, Lou D’Ambrosio.  

By Jeff Raber, [email protected]

Naperville, Ill. -- OfficeMax has been recognized as a JDA Software Group  2011 Real Results Winner for Best in Demand Management.

Now in its sixth year, the Real Results Awards recognize companies that have demonstrated business-process excellence and achieved quantifiable benefits through the adoption of industry best practices and use of JDA's industry-leading solutions and services. OfficeMax was honored at Focus 2011, JDA's annual user conference in Orlando, Florida, May 1-4, 2011.

New York City -- Americans are placing an even greater premium on quality customer service this year, with 70% willing to spend an average of 13% more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service, according to the American Express Global Customer Service Barometer. This is up from 2010, when 58% said they would spend an average of 9% more for great service.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings on Tuesday announced that its same-store sales for the first quarter fell 3.6%. The retailer forecast a loss for the quarter ended April 30 of $145 million.

Same-store sales decreased 1.6% at Kmart, and 5.2% at Sears in the quarter. Sears Canada projects same-store sales will be down 9.2%.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Dish Network announced that it has named a president for its newly-acquired subsidiary, Blockbuster. Michael Kelly, who most recently served as EVP of Dish Network's commercial services division as well as both the direct sales and media sales organizations and played a key role in Dish Network's purchase of Blockbuster. has been charged with returning the struggling retailer to profitability.

New York City -- Clarity and ease of use are sticky points for retailers when it comes to implementing business intelligence, according to a recent survey on BI in retail by Chain Store Age.