Omnichannel

Atlanta -- Sandal retailer Flip Flop Shops announced Thursday it has signed its 100th franchisee agreement for a new store to be located in Universal Studios, Calif. The store will be followed by openings in Santa Monica and Las Vegas.

The announcement follows recent news about the growing chain’s master franchise deal for Canada, which will see units open across the country.

Seattle -- Starbucks Corp. launched an application Wednesday that lets customers purchase goods with their Android smartphones. The company already has similar applications nationwide for BlackBerry and iPhone and iPod touch in January.

The application also allows customers to load their Starbucks loyalty card accounts, check card balances and find stores nearby, and it notifies customers of promotions and other discounts.

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus has named former Williams-Sonoma executive John E. Koryl as president of its website and catalog division, Neiman Marcus Direct.

Koryl, 40, succeeds Gerald Barnes, who will become executive VP and chief merchant of Neiman Marcus Direct, which operates websites under NeimanMarcus.com, BergdorfGoodman.com, LastCall.com, Cusp.com and Horchow.com. The division also produces more than 80 catalogs annually for the Neiman Marcus and Horchow brands.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples announced that it has launched a mobile version of its website. The M.Staples.com mobile site is optimized for smartphones and features enhanced product ratings and reviews, one click to an ink and toner finder, a Staples retail store locator with automatic GPS, store inventory lookup and enhanced on-site search, including an auto-suggest feature, the company reported. 

Staples' new mobile website also allows users to share product reviews and become a fan of Staples on Facebook, or follow Staples on Twitter.

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp. said Tuesday it has signed a long-term extension agreement with J. Crew Group to continue providing the retailer with reward program and private-label credit-card services, accepted at J. Crew stores and through J. Crew’s web and catalog channels.

Minneapolis -- Grocery Shopping Network announced Tuesday the launch of a new mobile apps program for Coborn’s and Cashwise stores. The new program is compatible with iPhone and Android smartphones and allows shoppers to view circular specials, in-store specials, recipes, and mobile offers based on this week’s deals from their mobile phone.

DALLAS — Karen Katz, president and CEO of Neiman Marcus announced that John E. Koryl will be joining the company, June 20, as president of Neiman Marcus Direct. Koryl succeeds Gerald Barnes, who will become EVP, chief merchant Neiman Marcus Direct.

Koryl, 40, joins Neiman Marcus from Williams-Sonoma where he was the SVP e-commerce marketing and analytics. Prior to Williams-Sonoma, Koryl was senior director marketing solutions at eBay and has worked at UmbrellaBank, Creditland.com, and Accenture.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co. reported Tuesday that net income for the first quarter fell 12% to $136 million, hurt by increased promotions and lower demand for such items as flat-panel televisions and digital cameras. But strong showings in China, mobile phone sales and online performance pushed helped to boost profit and revenue past analyst estimates.