News

Thousands of Kohl's employees volunteering for kids health
Kohl’s is looking to make a difference in the lives of many of its customers with a vast volunteer effort involving all its stores, thousands of its employees and 160 hospitals.
Ex-Staples exec named CEO of eBags
The former head merchant for Staples has been named president and CEO of eBags Inc.

The eBags board of directors appointed Mike Edwards as president, CEO and member of the board of directors effective immediately. He also joins the company as a new investor.

Edwards most recently held the position of executive vice president of global merchandising for Staples Inc.

Report: Investor urges splitting off Macy's

Macy's Inc. should split off its real estate holdings into a separate company to maximize shareholder value, Starboard Value hedge fund manager Jeffrey Smith said during an investor presentation, according to several news reports.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Smith said Wednesday it had taken a stake in Macy’s and is pushing the department store chain to spin off some of its real-estate assets.
RetailMeNot forms mobile marketing alliance

Digital promotions platform RetailMeNot has found a new partner to provide retailers with enhanced marketing analytics.
Are Macy’s Trump troubles just beginning?

Donald Trump contends he doesn’t forget and that could be a bad thing for Macy’s now that polls show the businessman turned politician leading a crowded field of Republican presidential hopefuls and using campaign stops to belittle the department store chain.
It's official: GameStop acquires geeky retailer

Months after trumping Hot Topic with a better offer, GameStop has officially acquired Geeknet for $140 million.
Footwear brand in deal with Target; updating stores

New York -- One of the nation’s most venerable children’s footwear brands has entered into a deal with Target. The brand is also updating its own in-store experience as it looks to align itself more directly with contemporary shoppers.

Stride Rite is launching Surprize by Stride Rite, an exclusive line of tyke-sized tennis shoes in Target, designed in partnership with Stride Rite.
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet IPO raises $143 million as chain looks to expand

New York -- Ollie’s Bargain Outlet raised $143 million in a wildly successful initial public stock offering that positions the company for steady expansion of its 181 unit store base beyond core markets.

Ollie’s co-founder and CEO Mark Butler told Retailing Today that although the company has identified 950 suitable store locations, proceeds from the IPO will be used to repay debt and the company will maintain a measured pace of expansion.
Posiflex releases new mobile POS tablet

Hayward, Calif. -- Posiflex is releasing a new mobile POS tablet, the MT4008. The MT4008 tablet is a fully modular hybrid system designed to provide mobile flexibility with stationary POS functionality.

The MT4008 system comprises an 8" tablet, optional 2D scanner with a pistol grip and extended-life battery, and printer docking station.
Listen: The Changing Role of the Retail CMO

New York – Dan Berthiaume, senior editor of Chain Store Age, recently participated in a one-hour panel discussion, “Today’s Retail CMO – A New Outlook,” sponsored by SAP as part of its “Coffee Break with Game-Changers” Internet radio series. The discussion, broadcast live on the VoiceAmerica Internet media service, focused on how advances in cloud and digital technology are transforming the role of the chief marketing officer in retail.
Update on Amazon’s Big Day: So good it will be annual event

San Jose, Calif. – While the social buzz regarding Amazon Prime Day on Wednesday, July 15, has been not so prime, early reports indicate the event was a success sales-wise. And industry experts said the event was important in other ways too.
Report: Social buzz for Prime Day not so prime

San Jose, Calif. – While Amazon.com may be happy about its exact sales performance during its July 15 Amazon Prime Day sales event, social media response probably did not meet Amazon’s expectations.