News

New York -- Coming off a disappointing 2013, Toys “R” Us unveiled a strategic plan to position the company for profitable growth in the future. The plan includes improving its in-store and online shopping experience, simplifying promotions, cutting costs, more disciplined inventory management, and more omni-channel integration with stores. Significantly, it not include closing stores apart from those involving standard lease expirations, top company executives said during a media presentation on Tuesday at the chain’s flagship in Times Square.

Modell's Sporting Goods is replacing its paper-driven employee-selection process with Infor PeopleAnswers Talent Science — a tool designed to improve that process as well as development and succession planning for its chain of more than 150 stores throughout the Northeast.

According to Infor, Infor PeopleAnswers Talent Science is available via the cloud and uses science, technology and analytics to predictively link behavioral data to real business outcomes, helping companies improve business performance, reduce turnover and optimize the HR process.

Maurices is marking a major milestone. The retailer, which started small in downtown Duluth, Minn., has opened its 900th store in Fresno, Calif.

And the retailer is not stopping there. Plans are in place to open 60 additional stores for a total of more than 925 stores in 46 states and Canada by July. Maurices is also remodeling or expanding 80 stores this year to keep the chain fresh.

The company's long-term goal is to reach more than 1,200 stores domestically and 100 stores in Canada.

Atlanta -- Crowd-sourced delivery company Kanga has launched a new iPhone and Android app that will place on-demand delivery options in the hands of local customers. The first market to pilot the on-demand shipping solution is Kanga’s home base of Atlanta.

The solution, which leverages crowd-sourced labor, is designed to connect customers and retailers with local delivery drivers.

Leading brands are retailers were recognized for their effectiveness in marketing communications Tuesday night in Chicago when the fourth annual North American Shopper Marketing Effie Awards were held at the Path to Purchase Institute’s annual Shopper Marketing Summit.

Yonkers, N.Y. -- Thousands of subscribers to the world's largest independent product-testing organization weighed in on grocery shopping via Consumer Reports’ latest survey – and gave Wegmans, Trader Joe's, Publix, Costco and Sprouts the highest scores overall among 55 of the nation's major grocery stores.

Walmart landed at the bottom of the ratings, based on a survey of the 27, 208 subscribers.

New York -- Merchant Warehouse, a leading provider of payment technologies, has acquired Opticard, a provider of gift and loyalty programs.

Through this acquisition, Merchant Warehouse will offer deeper mobile and digital engagement opportunities for small and mid-sized businesses through an expanded suite of gift, loyalty and prepaid programs.

A recent Federal Reserve report shows that household finances have regained substantial ground since the Great Recession, driven largely by the run-up in home values and surge in stocks. These positive forces have contributed to the highest level of wealth in our history — the net worth of U.S. households and nonprofits reached $80.7 trillion by the end of 2013.