Sales & Marketing

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group announced that it will assume leasing, management, and marketing duties of the Fox Run Mall in Newington, N.H. Simon will commence this new role at Fox Run on May 15.

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop is teaming up with Orlando International Airport to open a new store in mid-May. It will be the first Build-A-Bear Workshop store located inside an airport.

The Build-A-Bear Workshop store at Orlando International Airport will be located in the Main Terminal. The store will provide the same experience and interaction as mall-based Build-A-Bear Workshop retail locations.
 

New York City -- Jones Group's net income fell 34% in the first quarter, weighed down by higher costs and charges tied to an acquisition.

Jones Group earned $25.9 million, compared with $39.4 million a year ago.

Jones Group said its quarterly results included about $11 million in costs and charges tied to its Stuart Weitzman acquisition and other restructuring and strategic review costs. Last year's quarter included costs and charges totaling approximately $3 million.

Issaquah, Wash. -- Costco Wholesale Corp. said Tuesday that its board of directors has approved a $4 billion share buyback program. The company also raised its quarterly dividend by 17% to 24 cents, up from 20.5 cents.

The share buyback program expires in April 2015 and replaces a previous plan set to expire in July which had $800 million remaining.

Dallas -- RadioShack Corp. said Monday that it plans to sell $300 million in debt that will come due in 2019.

The retailer said it plans to use the proceeds from the sale of the senior notes for general corporate purposes, which may include stock buybacks.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot reported a first quarter loss of $5.4 million, down from a profit of $29.5 million in the prior-year period, amid weaker sales and a higher tax rate.

Total company sales for the quarter were $2.97 billion, down 3% from last year.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) GreenChill program. The program further Target's efforts to reduce refrigeration emissions by adopting green refrigeration technologies in its stores.

New York City -- Consumer confidence recovered somewhat in April, though the impact of rising gasoline prices is still evident, according to data released Tuesday by the Conference Board.

The confidence index hit 65.4 in April, from an upwardly revised 63.8 in March. The reading is still below the 72.0 mark of February.