Data & Analytics

Walgreens plans to launch a full suite of integrated financial services, Balance Financial, in phases throughout the next few months. 

The services are all built around the chain’s new Balance Financial Prepaid MasterCard. Balance Financial is currently offered to customers of more than 250 Walgreens locations in Detroit, Milwaukee and Nashville, with a nationwide card rollout expected before year end and additional financial services in 2014. Balance Financial is powered by Galileo, a leader in advanced payment processing solutions.

Staples has promoted John Buchta to VP, treasurer and tax. Buchta adds the role of treasurer to his current responsibilities as VP, tax, and will continue to report to Christine Komola, EVP and CFO.

“John has been an outstanding leader at Staples and brings more than 25 years of industry experience to his new role,” Komola said.

Buchta joined Staples in 2011. Prior to Staples, he was a partner at Ernst & Young. He succeeds Lisa Scopa, who has been promoted to the position of VP, high growth markets.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples announced the appointment of John Buchta to VP, treasurer and tax. Buchta adds the role of treasurer to his current responsibilities as VP, tax, and will continue to report to Christine Komola, executive VP and CFO.  

Buchta joined Staples in 2011 as VP, tax. Prior to Staples, he was a partner at Ernst & Young.

Buchta succeeds Lisa Scopa, who has been appointed VP, high growth markets.

Global ecommerce and payment processing leader First Data Corporation and Microsoft to simplify retailers ability to offer and redeem local deal offers.

The companies said that First Data’s OfferWise solution has been integrated with Microsoft’s Bing Offers Card-Linked which consolidates local deals from a number of deal providers. OfferWise is an open platform that enables retailers to electronically attach offers to any consumer payment card or mobile wallet to allow streamlined and automatic redemption of the offer at the point of sale.

Atlanta -- First Data Corp announced that the First Data OfferWise  solution has been integrated with Microsoft’s Bing Offers Card-Linked, which consolidates local deals from a number of deal providers. OfferWise is an open platform that enables retailers to electronically attach offers to any consumer payment card or mobile wallet to allow streamlined and automatic redemption of the offer at the point of sale (POS).  

CashStar, a digital gifting company, has named Ben Kaplan as the company’s president and CEO. In addition to his role as president and CEO, Kaplan remains a member of the company’s board of directors, to which he was appointed in August when he joined CashStar as COO.

New York -- Shoppers in the United States intend to spend an average of $646 on gifts this holiday season, representing an 11% increase over the $582 they planned to spend, on average, in 2012, according to Accenture’s annual holiday shopping survey. The forecast uptick is more optimistic than other holiday surveys released to date.

Shoppers in the United States plan on spending an average of $646 on gifts this holiday season, representing an 11% increase over the $582 they planned to spend, on average, in 2012, according to Accenture’s annual holiday shopping survey. The forecast uptick is more optimistic than other holiday surveys released to date.