News

By Jeff Weidauer, VP of Marketing and Strategy, Vestcom International

Webster defines technology as “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry.” Put another way, technology is the use of knowledge that solves problems in a practical manner. It’s important to understand that, because when it comes to the concept of retail technology, history shows that too often the solution becomes a hammer looking for a nail.

Oral-B has launched of an oral care app for children called the Disney Magic Timer App by Oral-B.

Created in collaboration with Disney and powered by DreamPlay, the oral care app is designed to helps kids increase brushing time, which, according to the company, is identified by dentists as an area of concern and improvement for children.

Tokyo – Mt. Gox, the Japan-based global bitcoin platform which unexpectedly went offline on Feb. 25, 2014, has filed for bankruptcy and publicly stated that hackers may have stolen as much as $500 million worth of bitcoins from the company and its users.

Men's Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank may be inching closer to a deal. Men’s Wearhouse announced that it had reached a nondisclosure agreement with its rival, setting up talks that could lead to a merger of the two retailers.

The two firms announced they are exchanging certain confidential information with each other and working in good faith to evaluate a potential combination.

As part of the agreement, Jos. A. Bank submitted a draft of a merger agreement to Men’s Wearhouse.

Stater Bros. Charities has presented a check in the amount of $75,000 to City of Hope to train a social worker in geriatrics and serve as the primary point person for elderly patients.

The social worker will gain hands on experience working with the geriatrics team, participate in educational conference calls, seminars and conferences and develop a comprehensive resource manual for older patients that will provide information about support services on campus and in the community.

As I have previously expressed in this column, I am a Bitcoin skeptic. The recent news that major global Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox suddenly disappeared, possibly due to losing as much as $350 million to fraud allowed by a computer glitch, reinforced my reservations about Bitcoin and similar electronic currencies. In theory, independent electronic currencies are promising, but in practice, relying on third-party payment methods which are not backed by the full faith and credit of a stable government is a risky proposition.

Peapod has opened a new fulfillment facility in Agawam, Mass., to better serve the needs of consumers from Hampshire and Hampden counties in Massachusetts.

New York -- The Jones Group Inc. has scheduled a special meeting of The Jones Group shareholders for April 7, 2014 to consider and vote upon the previously announced merger agreement entered into with Sycamore Partners on Dec. 19, 2013. Under the agreement, affiliates of Sycamore Partners will acquire The Jones Group for $15 per share in cash, or about $1.2 billion.