News

WASHINGTON — U.S. families are increasingly embracing organic products when they shop, according to a study conducted in mid-January by the Organic Trade Association.

"More and more parents choose organic foods primarily because of their desire to provide healthful options for their children," said Christine Bushway, OTA's CEO and executive director.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Shortly after announcing the opening of its first firearms store in Minnesota, Gander Mountain came out with a new online and social media initiative aimed at promoting responsible gun ownership.

As part of its “With Rights Comes Responsibility; Secure Your Firearms” initiative, Gander Mountain today launched www.ResponsibilityPledge.com, where firearms owners and those thinking of becoming an owner can take a pledge of personal responsibility.

New York -- New York City-based supermarket chain Fairway Market is going public. The company said in a regulatory filing Thursday that it expects its stock to price in the range of $10 to $12 per share as it looked to raise as much as $164 million.

Fairway operates 12 locations in the greater New York City metro area and in on track to open a store this summer in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood and one in Nanuet, N.Y, in the fall.
 

New York -- Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren had a pay package worth $11.3 million in 2012, down 22% from 2011, the Associated Press reported.

Lundgren had a salary of $1.6 million stock and options awards worth $7.7 million, and perks worth about $76,000. The decline came from a 63% smaller cash payment for performance, the report said.

Macy's said the CEO beat the profit expectations for the year but fell short on cash flow, due to a big merchandise purchase at the end of the fiscal year.

Whether you are a retail analyst or a casual observer, it can be all too easy to get lost in the negativity of recent store closings and retail bankruptcies.

ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Revionics, a provider of end-to-end merchandise optimization solutions, that it has named John Greenfield as SVP global business development. Greenfield has been successfully serving as Revionics’ VP channels and alliances. In his new role, Greenfield will be responsible for identifying, creating, and growing strategic global partnerships and alliances that will support accelerated revenue growth for the company.

NEW YORK — Walmart's e-commerce division is following Amazon's lead by starting programs to allow customers to order items online and then pick them up from lockers stationed at brick-and-mortar retailers.

Amazon has been running such a program for a couple of years in a few major cities, including installing the lockers at Rite Aid stores in cities like New York. The lockers allow customers to select a locker location for delivery and then retrieve ordered items automatically using a six-digit code.

Lululemon Athletica, manufacturer of yoga-inspired athletic apparel has announced that its chief product officer, Sheree Waterson, will be leaving the company effective April 15.

“We appreciate the many contributions that Sheree made during her time with lululemon, particularly in the area of design,” said Lululemon’s CEO Christine Day.

Waterson joined Lululemon in 2008 and has more than 25 years of consumer and retail industry experience.

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in March 2012 vs. March 2013 and noticed some common overall trends across top retail chains. Surprisingly the total number of pages per circular increased across the majority of retailers included in the study which shows that retailers are still focused heavily on their print circulars.

First it was RadioSchack and now Target has ended another electronics initiative with Best Buy.

Target and Best Buy confirmed earlier this week that they agreed to end a partnership begun last August that involved Target offering Best Buy’s Geek Squad services at 29 stores in Minneapolis and Denver. Earlier this year, Target ended a more extensive relationship with RadioShack that involved