News

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy is reminding holiday shoppers that it is a one-stop shop for holiday décor and an ideal gift destination for tech gadgets, beauty products and toys.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General Corp. on Tuesday posted a bigger-than-expected increase in quarterly profit and total sales in line with Wall Street expectations. But the chain said it remained cautious about the rest of the year, amid heightened pricing competition and

Dollar General said it plans to open approximately 635 stores in fiscal 2013, including some 20 Dollar General Market stores and 40 Dollar General Plus stores. The company also plans to remodel or relocate a total of approximately 550 stores.

San Jose, Calif. -- Nearly half (40%) of retailers will add a mobile version of their website in 2013, with 20% planning to create a mobile app, according to the "2012 ECommerce Trends Survey,” a survey of nearly 500 global retailers conducted by SLI Systems. Retailers’ biggest challenges in e-commerce continue to be improving conversions (63%) and attracting more customers to their websites (61%), the survey revealed.

Wayne, N.J. -- Ubisoft  and Toys “R” Us announced that they have teamed up to create Toys “R” Us Towers, a free-to-play toy store simulation game with real-world benefits, available now on Facebook. The game will also be available on mobile devices in the coming months.

We’ve all seen the footage that’s become an annual ritual for media outlets reporting on Black Friday: long lines, stampeding crowds and frantic shoppers. But the real drama is how stores fare once the dust settles, and this year was no exception. The length of the lines isn’t the ultimate Black Friday metric; it’s the bottom lines for retailers around the country that tell the tale.

Reston, Va. -- For the holiday season-to-date, $26.6 billion has been spent online, up 13% versus the corresponding days last year, according to comScore. The firm predicts that Green Monday (Monday, December 10, 2012) is likely to be one of the heaviest online spending days of the season and a headliner for what is expected to the busiest online spending week on record.

Atlanta -- Dollar volume growth remained solid at 5.8% in November, down from 6.7% in October, according to the First Data SpendTrend analysis for the full month of November 2012 compared with November 2011. SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations.

Ankey, Iowa -- Casey's General Stores Inc.'s reported Monday that its net income declined nearly 13% in its fiscal second quarter on lower sales of gasoline, groceries and cigarettes.

Casey's made $32.9 million in the quarter ended Oct. 31, down from $37.6 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 7.2% to $1.91 billion. Same-store sales of gasoline fell 0.4%, while sales of merchandise dropped 0.7%. Cigarette sales were hurt by competitive pricing and an increase in an Illinois state excise tax, CEO Robert J. Myers said in a statement.

Particularly in the current economy, it is not uncommon for purchasers, anywhere along the supply-to-distribution chain, to claim financial distress and file for bankruptcy relief.

How can a person or entity hope to collect on debts owed by a "bankrupt" purchaser? What follows is a primer on bankruptcy terms and procedures, as well as steps an unsecured creditor may follow to be in the best position to collect on what is owed without incurring substantial attorneys’ fees.

Pepsi announced a multi-faceted partnership with singer, dancer, actress Beyoncé.

The beverage brand first worked with Beyoncé in 2002 and has had a relationship with her ever since. However, Pepsi said the new deal is a true creative and wide-ranging global collaboration that will lead to the development of new content and innovative ways to engage fans, consumers and retailers to benefit both brands.