News

HUDSON, Ohio — Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores America is holding a Teacher Appreciation Days savings event August 10 and 11, at the height of the back-to-school season.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway and the Safeway Foundation are holding an annual fundraising campaign together with the Muscular Dystrophy Association to support individuals and families affected by muscle disease. 

SEATTLE — Starbucks has long offered free Wi-Fi to its customers, but the coffee company has partnered with Google to offer up to 10 times faster network and Wi-Fi speeds at its U.S.-based stores. 

Throughout the next 18 months, Starbucks will convert more than 7,000 U.S. stores to the upgraded store network and Wi-Fi experience.

VERNON, Calif. — True Religion Apparel has appointed David Conn as CEO. He will be joined by a new leadership team that, together with the company’s new owner, TowerBrook Capital Partners L.P., will be charged with guiding the company into its next phase of growth.

Conn joins from VF Corporation and has leadership experience in brand management and marketing in the apparel and footwear industries. Prior to his time as president of VF Retail Licensed Brands, Conn served as EVP of the Iconix Brand Group.

Coldwater Creek, a leading multichannel retailer of women’s apparel, jewelry and accessories, is leveraging Alliance Data Systems Corporation’s Retail Services business to expand its co-branded credit card program and launch a Coldwater Creek private-label credit card program. 

AUSTIN, Texas — Whole Foods Market sees demand for 1,000 new stores in the U.S. and thinks Canada and the U.K. hold great promise as well, based on its sales increase of 12% to $3.1 billion for the third quarter ended July 7, from $2.7 billion for the same year-ago period.

Seeking to boost back-to-school sales, 24 GGP malls will host Teen Vogue’s Back-to-School Saturday™ on Aug. 10.

For the second year in a row, Teen Vogue magazine has declared a national shopping holiday for Back-To-School.

This year, 100 malls and numerous national retailers — H&M, Topshop and American Eagle, for instance —have decided to see what the marketing concept can do for them.

Retailers will offer back-to-school deals and discounts, and the malls will host events.

Dallas -- PeopleAnswers announced a software licensing agreement for David’s Bridal to use the PeopleAnswers HR-focused business solution to improve in-store sales performance with higher quality team members.

New York -- Women’s specialty retailer Cache announced it has secured a new, five-year, $25 million credit facility through Wells Fargo Capital Finance, part of Wells Fargo & Company.

Cache CEO and chairman Jay Margolis stated: “We are pleased to partner with Wells Fargo Capital Finance to secure a credit facility. This facility enhances our financial flexibility to pursue our key initiatives that are expected to drive improvement in our operating performance and place us on a path to deliver sustained long term growth.”

By John Orr, [email protected]

Passive-aggressive, unengaged employees just aren’t that into your customers. Worse, they might be taking it out on customers, whose experience sends them to competitors. Contrast that with the upside of having an engaged staff happy at their jobs and going out of their way to treat customers well.