News

Reduced demand for firearms, ammunition and related products, as well as weak sales of winter-related products thanks to unseasonably warm and dry conditions in most of the company's western markets affected Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation’s performance in the first quarter ended March 30.

New York – Analytics solutions provider Ugam is enhancing its pricing intelligence solution with a new pricing engine that delivers real-time, on-demand pricing data for millions of products. The pricing engine monitors online retail prices and consumer signals, and combines that information with proprietary and third-party data to enable retailers to dynamically price items.

El Segundo, Calif. – Big 5 Sporting Goods experienced a 72% drop in net income during the first quarter of fiscal 2014, to $2.1 million from $7.5 million in the first quarter of the prior fiscal year. Expenses associated with the retailer’s new e-commerce platform affected its net income.

Chicago -- Mobile (including tablet), marketing and personalization were the top three issues that retailers will devote the most time to in 2014, according to the e-tailing group’s 13th Annual Merchant Survey. Omni-channel and platform rounded out the top five concerns.

San Jose – PayPal is rebranding itself in an effort designed to create a cohesive look and feel across the brand. The program includes a new logo and an omni-channel campaign called “powering the people economy.”

The ABF Freight division of Arkansas Best Corporation was named a “Carrier of the Year,” for the second consecutive year by a leading supply chain organization.

The Fort Smith, Ark.-based company received the National LTL Carrier of the Year Award from the National Shippers Strategic Transportation Council (NASSTRAC). ABF also won the award in 2013, 2011 and 2010.

REI's members recently elected two new directors to represent their interests on the co-op's board of directors. The national outdoor gear and apparel retailer held its annual members' meeting on April 28 at its iconic flagship store in downtown Seattle, where the voting results were announced.

Co-op members elected Karen E. (Kari) Glover and Sharon Philpott to three-year terms and re-elected Cheryl Scott to a three-year term. Earlier in the year, the REI board re-appointed Chloe Harford and Matt Compton to one-year terms.

Eleven centers opened last year, with 50 more on the drawing boards

The recession lit the fuse that has produced an explosion of outlet center development.