News

Loop Commerce makes e-gifting personal
Menlo Park, Calif. – E-gifting just got personal. Loop Commerce has released a turnkey SaaS solution called Loop that allows consumers to select and send online products as gifts without specifying attributes such as size, style or color.
Rent the Runway repositions brand with RedScout
New York – Online fashion rental company Rent the Runway has partnered with innovation agency Redscout to help create the brand's new positioning, voice, logo and visual identity. Redscout helped Rent the Runway combine the two main focuses of the business, technology and fashion, into one synergistic and thoughtful vision across its online, mobile and brick-and-mortar platforms.

PetSmart agrees to $8.7 billion buyout

Phoenix – PetSmart Inc. has agreed to be purchased for about $8.7 billion by a consortium of buyers led by private equity firm B.C. Partners and also including pension fund manager La Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and private equity firm StepStone. The total figure represents an acquisition price of $83 per share, a 39% premium over PetSmart’s closing price on July 2, 2014.
Survey – More than half of holiday shoppers finish last-minute

Austin, Texas - More than half (56%) of Christmas shoppers surveyed typically have gifts left to purchase by the time "Panic Saturday,” the last Saturday to shop for holiday gifts before Christmas (also referred to as "Super Saturday"), rolls around. According to a new consumer survey from digital offers site RetailMeNot, nearly one in 5 (18%) Christmas shoppers surveyed admit that they've actually waited until the Saturday before Christmas to begin shopping for presents.
Sherwin-Williams paints store No. 4,000

After announcing new partnerships with HGTV and Lowe’s, as well as three consecutive quarters of record growth, Sherwin-Williams is celebrating another milestone.

The company announced it is opening its 4,000th store in Sewickley, Pa.
With help from friends, consumers can win Mellow Mushroom contest

Atlanta – Pizza chain Mellow Mushroom is partnering with beer brand Stella Artois to provide rewards to consumers who post photos on Twitter and Instagram, with a little help from their friends. By posting “usies” (“selfies” with a friend) using the hashtag #MellowStellaContest, Mellow Mushroom followers are entered in a contest featuring a getaway and other prizes.
Cost Plus World obtains inventory visibility with GT Nexus

Oakland, Calif. - Cost Plus World Market has renewed its use of the GT Nexus platform, providing real-time visibility into global inventory movement and performance information. Finance, sourcing and logistics departments are networked over a single cloud platform, connecting more than 1,000 suppliers and logistics providers to collaborate on production and delivery of goods.
Toys ‘R Us shrinks Q3 net loss with lower taxes, interest

Wayne, N.J. – Toys ‘R Us Inc. shrunk its net loss to $213 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 from $605 million in the year ago, helped by expense controls and a less intense promotional enviroment. The retailer, however, did not provide an outlook for its holiday performance.
Retail cyber security a CEO priority

Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) have become more common on companies’ senior leadership teams. They might be in even higher demand after the highly publicized data breaches at Target, Home Depot, Neiman Marcus and other companies in the past couple of years (see a timeline of data breaches in the past decade here). In fact, Neiman Marcus just hired its first CISO, Sarah Hendrickson.
Insights: Why Retailers Should Act Now to Re-evaluate their Private Label Cards

By Hemal Nagarsheth and Ramesh Siromani Consumers view the “right” payment method, (accessing points, discounts, and special offers,) as a critical part of the purchase process – good news for branded private label cards which allow retailers to cultivate loyalty, improve operating results, and gain sustainable competitive advantage.