News

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores posted disappointing results for its first quarter, with earnings down 5% as harsh winter weather kept shoppers away. The company also gave a weak earnings forecast for its current quarter that fell short of analysts' estimates.

For the period ended April 30, Wal-Mart earned $3.59 billion, compared with $3.78 billion a year ago, less than analysts expected. In addition to the unusually harsh winter weather, a higher-than-expected tax rate also hurt earnings, the retailer said.

Walmart continues to envision flat same store sales at its U.S. stores after reporting weaker than expected profits on weak U.S. sales results that were negatively affected by a winter that wouldn’t end.

Kohl’s joins a growing list of retailers whose first-quarter results took a hit from a severe and extended winter. Despite missing estimates, the company is staying firm on its guidance for the full fiscal year.

H-E-B and men's grooming brand Axe have partnered with the X Games to launch an innovative shopper marketing promotion that will reward consumers with an exclusive performance by X Games athletes at local H-E-B stores.

Retailers are really taking notice of how valuable pop-up shops are as a marketing tool, including PetSmart, which has partnered with the City of Detroit and the nonprofit community organization Detroit Dog Park to set up a portable, pop-up dog park in a vacant lot in Detroit.

Marc Jacobs Beauty has launched an e-commerce website featuring more than 150 products in the Marc Jacobs Beauty collection, as well as exclusive access to limited-edition product offerings.

The site was developed with responsive design, and showcases a modern, center navigation, high-definition product shots with zoom capability, and true-to-life product swatches.

Skechers USA has signed hall-of-fame quarterback legend Joe Namath to represent the high-performing men’s Relaxed Fit from Skechers footwear line. A new advertising campaign featuring Namath will begin in the fall.

“Broadway” Joe’s campaign launches with a new television commercial utilizing the same humorous tone set by spots for Relaxed Fit footwear featuring Joe Montana and Mark Cuban. The campaign will extend across all media with Namath appearing in print, outdoor, online and point-of-sale materials through 2015.

Endicia, a provider of e-commerce shipping technology has added an Amazon integration to its shipping software's capabilities. The solution, which allows users to import orders and post-back tracking information, is designed to increase shipping efficiency.

Sellers can now connect their Amazon store to Endicia's software, allowing them to seamlessly import order information and automatically post-back tracking data. This eliminates the need to copy and paste. Endicia also provides label customization options that are not available through Amazon.

Budweiser's limited-edition red, white and blue cans and bottles have started arriving on store shelves just in time for Memorial Day. The packaging also marks the brand's commitment to assisting military families: Budweiser and its wholesaler family will donate more than $3 million to the Folds of Honor Foundation.

Shoppers in Central and South America can now shop eBay in Spanish and Portuguese using their local currencies.

The global commerce platform and a mobile commerce leader launched Spanish- and Portuguese-language sites to better serve customers across Latin America.

More than 2 million people in Latin America already shop eBay in English and U.S. dollars. Now, when these customers visit eBay, they will see localized shopping experiences in Spanish or Portuguese — online and on eBay mobile.