Sales & Marketing

CUPERTINO, California - Apple Thursday introduced its Mac App Store, which it claims boasts more than 1,000 free and paid apps. According to the company, the Mac App Store brings the App Store experience to the Mac, enabling users to buy apps using their iTunes account, download and install them in just one step. 

“With more than 1,000 apps, the Mac App Store is off to a great start,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We think users are going to love this innovative new way to discover and buy their favorite apps.”

Columbus, Ohio -- Glimcher Realty Trust has announced the promotion of Thomas J. Drought to the position of executive VP, director of leasing.

Drought was previously senior VP, director of leasing.

Glimcher also announced the appointment of Damion Sankovich to VP leasing. Sankovich was previously regional director, leasing.

RICHMOND HILL, ON and LAS VEGAS - Lexmark Canada has launched the latest addition to its award-winning lineup of Web-connected, all-in-one (AIO) inkjet printers – Lexmark Genesis.

The Lexmark Genesis targets professionals, small business and home office customers who are looking for an AIO printer that has innovative technology, is highly productive and is also bold and stylish, the company stated in a press release.

FORT WORTH, Texas - Pier 1 Imports' same-store sales rose 10.3% in December, helped in part by more customers and higher average receipts. The company lifted its fourth quarter guidance.

Pier I used fewer promotions and clearance prices during the month than it did last year, said president and CEO Alex Smith in a statement.

LAS VEGAS - Reporting from the Consumer Electronics Show, Best Buy said that revenue for the fiscal month of December ended Jan. 1, decreased 1.6% to $8.4 billion. The revenue decline for the five-week period, as compared with $8.5 billion in revenue for the five-week period ended Jan. 2, 2010, was due primarily to a comparable-store sales decline of 4% partially offset by the addition of new stores in the past 12 months and the favorable impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Addressing customers' demand for affordable and nutritious meal options, Fresh & Easy is expanding its popular Eatwell line.

Building on the success of the Eatwell line, which launched last year, are such meal options as steak and spinach salad, spicy tomato chicken pasta and garlic alfredo salmon. The new meals range in price from $2.49 to $4.99.

Each Eatwell meal contains no more than 25% of the daily values for calories, fat, saturated fat and sodium (based upon a 2,000-calorie diet).

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co.’s December same-store sales fell 4% as softness continued in its sales of televisions and entertainment software.

The retailer, which also reaffirmed its 2011 profit outlook, said on Friday that same-store sales in its domestic segment fell 5% and 0.1% internationally.

Overall sales in the month slipped 1.6% to $8.4 billion.

By Manish Lonial and Akhilesh Srivastava  [email protected], [email protected]