Data & Analytics

TTi Floor care, manufacturing of Hoover and Dirt Devil floor care products, is investing in American innovation.

The Glenwillow, Ohio-based company said it would hire more than 200 new electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, technicians and industrial designers nationwide over the next three years. The increased investment in engineering, innovation and design is part of the company’s strategy to stay at the forefront of its industry.

By Mike Troy

Mobile, social, solution, cloud, big data, SaaS, optimize and engage. It was impossible to have a conversation at the National Retail Federation convention in New York without hearing these words — a lot.

Family Dollar’s annual dividend now exceeds a dollar following a 24% increase on Friday.

The annual payout now totals $1.04 following a decision by the Family Dollar board to elevate the quarterly dividend to 26 cents a share from 21 cents a share. In addition, the board authorized the repurchase of an additional $300 million in stock under an existing program that had only $94 million in authorization remaining.

By TJ Person, [email protected]

Using a smartphone for everyday transactions is becoming commonplace, with an estimated 86 million Americans using their smartphone to shop every day. They use it to pay; they use it for specials; and they use it to redeem coupons.  

By Bruce Jones

The 2012 holiday shopping season featured stores opening earlier on Thanksgiving, extended hours shopping marathons, and, according to the National Retail Federation, an additional 585,000 to 625,000 seasonal retail workers.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — OfficeMax is joining forces with Go Daddy, a leading Web hosting and domain name provider.

OfficeMax's exclusive bundles of Go Daddy website services will allow businesses to register their domain names, create professional websites and maximize their business visibility on Internet search engines. There are no monthly service fees. One-year service bundles range from simple domain and website authentication to hosting an online store.

San Francisco -- Williams-Sonoma reported that its revenue increased 4.8% to $1.01 billion for the nine-week period ended Dec.30.The company also backed its fourth-quarter and full-year forecast.

Williams-Sonoma will discuss its performance in more detail in March when it releases its fourth quarter results.

Company president and CEO Laura Alber said the chain's performance reflected the strength of its brands even amid a time of consumer uncertainty and intense promotional activity across the retail industry.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples has launched the Staples App Center, an online marketplace for cloud-based business applications.

The App Center will allow small businesses to purchase and manage their apps all in one place. The center boasts a selection of business apps, an administrative console and one consolidated bill.