News

RadioShack is courting the college market and has entered into a five-year agreement with NACSCORP, a subsidiary of the National Association of College Stores.

Under the agreement, the retailer will offer an assortment of consumer electronics and accessories to the nearly 4,000 college store customers NACSCORP currently serves.

DALLAS — Kimberly-Clark has launched Depend Guards and Shields, two products specifically designed for men with light bladder leakage, as part of a new program called Guard Your Manhood, which offers tips and tools from former professional football star Tony Siragusa. 

CINCINNATI — Macy’s reported increases in sales and income for the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period a year earlier, despite cool weather that delayed spring shopping in key markets. Net income was $217 million, a 20% hike from $181 million in the year-ago period.  

While net income slightly beat analyst predictions, same-store sales rose 3.8%, short of the 4.3% expected by analysts. Net sales totaled $6.39 billion, up 4% from $6.14 billion in the year-ago period.

ST. LOUIS — SpongeBob and Patrick are heading to Build-A-Bear Workshop thanks to an agreement between the retailer and Nickelodeon. Beginning Friday, May 17, customers will be able to make their own SpongeBob and Patrick dolls at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores throughout North America and on the retailer’s e-commerce site for $23 apiece.  

SpongeBob’s Bikini Bottom friends Sandy Cheeks and Gary the Snail will also be available as pre-stuffed minis for $10 each.

Kroger plans on putting food waste to good use with a clean energy production system that converts food that cannot be sold or donated into clean energy, which will help power its Ralphs/Food 4 Less distribution center in Compton, Calif.

LOS GATOS, Calif. — BJ’s Wholesale Club has tapped FoodLink, a fresh food commerce and traceability platform, to assist in the sourcing and purchasing of fresh produce across BJ’s 15-state chain.

TOLEDO, Ohio — Hickory Farms, a leading provider of specialty foods and holiday food gifts, has made changes to its executive team.

The company has promoted VP of brand marketing Michael Holton to CMO. VP of supply chain Joe Loch has been promoted to VP of franchise and retail sales. Director of logistics Ty Hanline has been promoted to VP of supply chain. The company has also hired Davenport, Hanf & Company executive Joe Herman to be its interim CFO.

CINCINNATI — Vantiv is teaming up with NCR Corporation to offer small businesses innovative point-of-sale technology integrated with leading payments solutions. 

Under the multi-year agreement, the companies will focus on developing exclusive solutions and expanding their innovative technology platforms to deliver personalized customer experiences that help smaller merchants compete more effectively against larger competitors.

BOSTON — Walmart has partnered with Inward Strategic Consulting to design an innovative way to engage with staff and foster what the company hopes is a fun yet productive work environment that enhances customer experience. 

NEW YORK — International lifestyle brand Club Monaco is leveraging the power of social media to promote its fashion apparel and accessories. It has launched an interactive fashion lookbook on Tumblr. 

Club Monaco hopes to use the visually driven platform to expand its reach and entice consumers to see and share fashion looks months before they hit the stores.