News

Hungry Howie's Pizza to unveil new digital ordering platform
Houston -- Pizza ordering continues to get easier and easier. Hungry Howie's Pizza has partnered with Revention to create a custom digital online ordering platform, a simple-to-use solution that allows customers to order from any internet capable device, whether desktop, tablet or mobile phone.
FTC okays Safeway-Albertsons merger
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has cleared the merger of supermarket operators Safeway Inc. and Albertsons, creating a larger competitor to rival chain Kroger. But there is one caveat.

The FTC agreed to the deal only after Safeway and Albertsons agreed to sell 168 stores to address the FTC’s competition concerns.

FTC clears Albertsons, Safeway merger

Boise, Idaho -- Albertsons and Safeway announced on Tuesday that they have received clearance from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for the companies' proposed merger, which was announced on March 6, 2014. 

The FTC's clearance follows Albertsons' and Safeway's agreement to a proposed consent order, which includes a commitment to divest 168 stores.  
ShoeBuy purchases stake in Boston Boot Company

Boston - ShoeBuy, a global online retailer of shoes and clothing, is expanding into footwear manufacturing. The company has acquired a minority stake in Boston Boot Company.

Now, the complete Boston Boot Company product line is available at ShoeBuy.com, bringing the brand to millions of shoppers. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
Family Dollar sales up; investor slashes stake

Less than a week after getting shareholder approval to sell itself to Dollar Tree Inc., Family Dollar said fewer discounts led to increased December sales.

For the month ended Jan. 3, Family Dollar said its sales increased 3.6% to $1.21 billion from a year earlier. Same-store sales increased 1.2%, compared with a 3% decline last December.
Papa John’s offers omnichannel Super Bowl deal

Louisville, Ky. – Papa John’s International Inc. is taking its Super Bowl focus off trivial football inflation concerns and on something that matters – free pizza. Customers who place a minimum order of $15 on Papajohns.com using promo code SUPERBOWL between Thursday, Jan. 29 and Sunday, Feb. 1 will receive a free large pizza with up to three toppings on their next order beginning Monday, Feb. 2 through Sunday, February 22.
Survey: Consumers spend within means for holidays

New York – Consumers mostly spent within their means during the 2014 holiday season. Only one-in-six Americans spent more than expected this holiday season, according to a new Bankrate.com report.

This is consistent with readings in previous years. Millennials (Americans ages 18-29) were twice as likely as those ages 30-49 to have spent more during the holidays than intended. Overall, one-in-four Americans spent less than expected this holiday season.
Walgreens Boots names global CFO

Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. has appointed George Fairweather, formerly group finance director of Alliance Boots, as executive vice president and global chief financial officer, effective Feb. 20.

Fairweather will succeed Timothy McLevish, who served as Walgreens CFO since August 2014, where he advanced the company’s completion of its merger with Alliance Boots to form Walgreens Boots Alliance and served as the initial global chief financial officer of the combined companies.
TechBytes: Three Ways Mobile Has Gone Mainstream in Retail

As recently as a year or two ago, “mobile retailing” was a major industry buzzword. Everyone was busy trying to figure out how to best “mobile-enable” their enterprise.
Office Depot reveals digital content upgrade

A desire to accelerate the execution of online marketing campaigns and provide “experiential commerce” prompted Office Depot to use a solution developed by Web content management company CoreMedia.

Late last year and within a short period of time, CoreMedia’s LiveContext was integrated with the Office Depot product catalog, pricing information and front-end modules, providing business users with a single interface to access this real-time information and blend it with marketing content, according to a press release from the companies.