News

Retailing’s 'Outstanding Mom' to be honored in New York
New York -- Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor President Liz Rodbell is among a group of high powered female executive due to be honored as Outstanding Mothers at a New York City event on May 7 emceed by HSN CEO and 2010 Outstanding Mother honoree Mindy Grossman.

Other honorees include Meredith Vieira, host and executive producer, “The Meredith Vieira Show”; Joanna Coles, editor-in-chief, Cosmopolitan and editorial director, Hearst Magazines; and Dee Ocleppo Hilfiger, designer, creative director at Dee Ocleppo.
Office Depot implores shareholders to support Staples' acquisition deal
Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot will urge its stockholders to support a merger with Staples by asking them to vote in favor of the $6.3 billion acquisition by Staples at an annual meeting. Industry insiders say the merger could help the pair solidify their positions in the office supplies market and fend off gains made by Amazon and Walmart in the category.

Will Abercrombie's desexualized strategy bring back sales?

Executives at Abercrombie & Fitch Co. think that taking the sex out of its ads will solve the retailer's traffic problems, according to new reports. But the retailer may have more work to do than just firing the beefcake models.
Supermarket execs to lead chain drug group

Two big grocery chain executives will be overseeing the board of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.
Valpak launches Apple Watch coupon app

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- Valpak’s new coupon app for Apple Watch will deliver watch wearers savings in a high-tech way for the traditional coupon-mailer.

The coupon app will be available for download for Apple Watch and will mark an early Apple Watch entry for coupon companies.
Retailer’s Guide to Understanding EMV Chip Acceptance Solutions

By Xavier Giandominici, FIME America

The U.S. is migrating to EMV chip technology to reduce counterfeit card fraud and promote global interoperability. And though the transition is more than three years in, many small and midsized merchants, VARs, ISOs and ISVs are only starting to learn about the EMV standard and beginning implementation project plans.
C-stores feeling fresh

Gas, beer and cigarettes still dominate convenience store sales, but fresh items are making some surprising inroads.
Kroger ends joint venture with Tesco’s Dunnhumby, starts customer data subsidiary

Cincinnati -- Kroger said Monday that it has ended a 12-year joint venture with British consumer data company Dunnhumby and launched its own customer data subsidiary.

The new subsidiary will help Kroger set prices in stores and decide which shoppers get certain coupons. The ending of the joint venture comes after Dunnhumby's parent company, Tesco PLC, said it was seeking strategic options for Dunnhumby.
Ace named America's favorite home improvement store

Ace Hardware is America’s favorite home improvement store and Costco is the favorite for home furnishings, according to a new survey by Market Force Information.
Report: eBay supports Google over Brussels antitrust probe

New York -- A report by Financial Times revealed that eBay’s CEO John Donahoe spoke out in support of Google as the search-engine giant defends itself in an antitrust case lodged in Brussels, Belgium.