News

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General has added several name brand items to its toy aisles this year.

“Offering our customers the name brand toys they want at great prices is a priority for Dollar General,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s EVP, division president and chief merchandising officer. “Shoppers will be delighted by the hot toys and classics that are in our stores this season.”

A few of the name brand toys featured at Dollar General include:

AVON, Ohio — Duck Tape brand duct tape is inviting consumers to design the next Duck Tape print for the chance to win $5,000 and have their design seen nationwide.

Designs drawn by hand or with digital editing software are welcome, and entries must be created using one of the Duck Tape design templates found on the Facebook contest tab to be considered.

CHICAGO — PacSun has partnered with Lyons Consulting Group to upgrade both their e-commerce and mobile sites. 

Lyons Consulting Group migrated the site onto the more robust Demandware platform and added several custom features, including thirteen third party integrations such as Gigya Social Sign in and Visa V.Me. Through this process, lyonscg produced a more flexible front-end, improved content manageability, all while creating a fun, engaging, and intuitive shopping experience when browsing either the ecommerce or mobile sites.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. has appointed Phil Jones, formerly president of its west coast region, to lead its retail channel for independent garden centers and hardware co-op stores as SVP independent channel.

Now you can have your cake and eat it with candy, too. Tastycake and Hershey's have teamed up to create Kandy Bar Kakes — part perfectly baked cake, part candy, made with quality ingredients.

Kandy Bar Kakes are available in 2.1-oz. single-serve sizes and 5-count multipacks in three varieties: s'mores, made with Hershey's Cocoa; peanut butter, made with Reese's peanut butter; and peppermint, made with York Peppermint flavor.

Chicago -- PacSun announced Monday it has partnered with Lyons Consulting Group to upgrade its e-commerce and mobile sites. PacSun said it had outgrown its previous platform and needed a more scalable solution in order to support its growth and provide the shopping capabilities that their shoppers have come to expect.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation reported Monday that September retail sales – excluding autos, fuel and restaurants – increased a seasonally adjusted 0.4%, thanks to strong showings from clothing and electronics stores.

Unadjusted, retail sales gained 2.1% year over year.

New York -- Deloitte’s Consumer Spending Index rose in September, aided by a near 11% gain in home prices. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Monday by the Commerce Department showed that retail sales in the U.S. climbed more than anticipated in September, boosted by unexpected increases in household spending.

Sales advanced 1.1% in September, on the heels on a 1.2% increase in August that was the biggest since Oct. 2010. The median forecast of 77 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 0.8% rise in September.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples is now offering its customers the chance to pre-order the latest computers and tablets optimized for Microsoft Windows 8 through its exclusive "8 Was Easy" program.

Customers can pre-order the computers and tablets online or in stores and receive free personalized training and free support. Consumers who purchase any Windows 8 PC regularly priced $699 and above will also receive free data transfer from their old computer.