News

Taylor Swift goes with JD.com in China
In the e-commerce fight between China's Alibaba and JD.com, Taylor Swift has declared a winner.

The pop superstar announced that JD.com will be the official online source of Taylor Swift items in China, including a new fashion line the music superstar designed specifically for the Chinese market.
Harry & David selects PR firm
New York - Harry & David has selected MWW Public Relations to serve as its official public relations agency. To help drive Harry & David's brand relevance among target consumers, MWWPR is charged with developing and implementing a strategic communication plan that focuses on media and influencer engagement and strengthening Harry & David as a household name.

Tech Bytes: Three Lessons from Amazon Prime Day

Now that the dust is clearing from the Amazon Prime Day sales “holiday,” we can take a look back at this unique retail event, which livened up the typical lull of mid-summer. Let’s review three initial lessons the retail industry can learn from what some observers called the “summer Black Friday.”

Every Day can be a Holiday
Office Depot targets de-cluttering consumers

Office Depot Inc. is focusing on attracting de-cluttering consumers as the retailer awaits regulatory approval of its merger with Staples.

Office Depot announced it is launching Perch by Urbio, a new line of organization products for the home or office, available now in both Office Depot and OfficeMax retail locations and online at officedepot.com.
Report: eBay makes acquisition after PayPal split

San Jose, Calif. – eBay Inc. is not wasting any time in moving on now that its long-anticipated split with PayPal Inc. is official. According to MarketWatch, eBay has acquired online consignment apparel retailer Twice, and will not maintain the Twice brand.
Breach may affect major retail photo sites

Vancouver – The third-party vendor hosting online photo sites of at least six major retailers may have been the victim of a security breach. The photo pages of CVS, Sam’s Club, Costco, Rite Aid, Wal-Mart Canada and Tesco, all clients of Vancouver-based PNI Digital Media Inc., have been temporarily taken down.
Francesca's adds Limited veteran

Francesca's is adding a retail industry veteran to its board.

The retailer has appointed Martyn Redgrave as a member of the board of directors. The appointment is effective immediately. Redgrave will serve on the audit committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee.
‘Tahget’ localizes Boston assortment

Minneapolis – Target Corp. is presenting itself as “Tahget” to Boston-area shoppers. The Boston Globe reports that Target is offering an assortment of “Local Pride” T-shirts with stereotypically Boston phrases and slang, such as “Wicked Smaht,” in its store located in Somerville, Massachusetts, a small city bordering Boston.

The localized assortment will also be featured in Target’s new CityTarget location scheduled to open in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston on Wednesday, July 22.
Ross picks up the pace of expansion in July

Ross Stores is crossing off a big chunk of its to-do list as the retailer moves forward with its plans to open 90 stores in 2015.
Staples, UPS take easy shipping approach

Framingham, Mass. – Staples Inc., famous for the “easy button,” is partnering with UPS to ease the shipment of UPS packages from any U.S. store location. Customers now can charge the cost of shipments at Staples to their UPS account, which means they don't have to prepare labels ahead of time and will see the invoice, and any customized rates, on their regular UPS invoice.