News

Energy that comes from an unlikely source will help power a distributed center operated by Stop & Shop Supermarket Company.

The retailer has opened a “Green Energy Facility,” in Freetown, Massachusetts, that will convert inedible food from Stop & Shop’s 212 New England stores into energy that will help power the company's distribution center in Freetown.

Eighty-eight percent of consumers plan to celebrate Mother’s Day 2016 and clothing is this year’s big winner.

That’s according to the annual Brand Keys Mother’s Day survey, which found that consumers intend to spend on average $205.00 this year, up 6% over 2015.

Men, following a long-standing tradition, intend to spend more than women, reporting an anticipated average spend of $228. Women reported an anticipated spend of $182.

Nordstrom announced it will phase out 350 to 400 jobs, primarily in its corporate center and regional support teams, through the end of the second quarter.

The retailer described the reductions as changes in its operating model in order to “continually evolve with the expectations of its customers, ensure it is best positioned to respond to the current business environment, and meet long-term growth plans.”

The changes are estimated to generate savings of approximately $60 million in fiscal 2016.

Skechers retail stores could be in for a sales boost later this year as pro football Hall of Famer Howie Long becomes the newest member of the footwear brand’s endorsement roster.
 
Skechers, operator of 1,340 stores, inked Long for a multi-year deal that involves TV, print and digital components through 2018. Long is best known today as a game day commentator of Fox’s NFL broadcasts, but prior to that he was one of the league’s most dominating defensive linemen during a 12 year career with the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders.
 

Angeles-based Sport Chalet has initiated going out of business sales at its 47 stores and closed down its online operation.

On Monday, Vestis Retail Group LLC, which operates Sport Chalet along with Eastern Mountain Sports and Bob’s Stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The filing was not unexpected and follows in the wake of Sports Authority’s Chapter 11 filing in March.

Consumers who want free two-day shipping of their Amazon.com orders but don’t want to make an upfront commitment have a new option.

Amazon is now making Prime membership available to U.S. customers on a month-by-month basis for $10.99 per month. Previously, Prime had only been available for $99 per year, which breaks down to $8.25 per month.

Retailers will have a new friction-free way to convert shoppers into buyers this holiday season as Google expects buy button functionality piloted last year to be broadly available by the fourth quarter.

ModCloth, known for its indie and vintage-inspired styles, appointed Phil Neri as chief financial officer (CFO), starting April 15.

Neri joins ModCloth with over two decades of financial and operational experience in the consumer, online and multichannel retail sector, most recently serving as CFO at home and lifestyle brand Serena & Lily since 2011.

Facebook has been getting a lot of attention for recent updates which make it more of a direct customer engagement tool. The attention is deserved, as Facebook is on its way to becoming a vitally important CRM platform. Here are five reasons why.   1. Everyone is doing it

A ruling in the dispute between the Federal Trade Commission and Staples could hinge on whether the judge in the case is an Amazon Prime member who appreciates the online giant’s disruptive business model and potential to impact the business-to-business marketplace.