News

Indianapolis -- Appliance, electronics and furniture retailer Hhgregg has embarked on a brand transformation across all customer touch-points, including its 228 store locations and online presence, in an effort to boost its shopping and purchasing experience.

Eddie Bauer is expanding into footwear territory. The new brand’s new footwear collection is set to debut online and in store July 28.

Kmart Pharmacy is working with Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy to give Kmart customers and Shop Your Way members access to specialty medications, bringing specialized support for a variety of patient conditions, including but not limited to: HIV, Crohn's disease, anemia blood modifiers and Hepatitis C.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreen Co. said that its same-store sales rose 7.6% in April, boosted by Easter-driven growth in front-end sales.

The company’s total sales rose 8.8% to $6.49 billion in the month of April, up from $5.96 billion in the same period of last year. Pharmacy sales accounted for 64.5% of total sales for April.

It has been about five months since the Target data breach made the vulnerability of retail POS data a hot topic. Investigation has since shown the Target breach did not involve POS terminals. However, high-profile thefts of customer payment card data from Target and other retailers including Neiman Marcus, Michaels and Sally Beauty Supply have highlighted the need for U.S. retailers to adopt the global Europass, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) standard for accepting payments from cards that store consumer information on secure embedded microchips, rather than on magnetic stripes.

Coca-Cola is enhancing its Coca-Cola Freestyle app. Beginning this month, an enhanced “Create Your Own Mix” feature will allow users to choose from more than 100 drink options to create a customized beverage that they can then pour from dispensers at participating outlets by connecting their smartphones to them.

The app is free for Android and iOS devices.

New York -- Google is reportedly expanding its same-day Google Shopping Express service to Manhattan and Los Angeles, according to the New York Post.

The service strives to make same-day deliveries from Fairway, Walgreens, Target, Costco and other retailers to anyplace in Manhattan for $4.99 per store, the report states.

The article says that the service, first launched in San Francisco last year, will expand to Brooklyn and Queens in the coming months.

Butterball has named Kerry Doughty as the company's president and CEO.

"Butterball will benefit from Kerry's leadership, vision and passion for customers and associates as he steps into his new role as president and CEO," said Walter Pelletier, president of Maxwell Farms, which shares equal ownership of Butterball with Seaboard Corporation. "Butterball has a strong legacy of providing quality, great tasting products that families enjoy every day, and Kerry is committed to that tradition."