News

LG Electronics and Whirlpool Corp. have agreed to settle their respective patent infringement disputes related to refrigerators, ending years of litigation between the two companies. Three pending lawsuits will be dismissed in the U.S. District Courts in Delaware and New Jersey, according to the announcement. All other terms of the settlement are confidential.

PAWTUCKET, R.I. — In a reverse of the trend to make everything digital, Hasbro is taking some of the most popular digital games and turning them into physical board games.

The toy company has partnered with Zynga to create off line versions of its popular Word With Friends, FarmVille, CityVille and Draw Something brands.The line will hit store shelves this month at most major U.S. retailers and will also be available globally this fall in the United Kingdown, Australia and Canada.

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. — Skechers will once again feature Hall of Fame quarterback in its campaign for its "Relaxed Fit" footwear. Montana’s spot will follow Mark Cuban’s televised launch of the brand, and will be followed by Tommy Lasorda’s own unique Relaxed Fit commercial in 2013, as part of a triple sport celebrity campaign for the new men’s comfort footwear collection.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Former Johnson & Johnson chairman and CEO James Burke passed away Sept. 28. He was 87 years old.

New York -- Research released Monday by Citigroup and published by Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch found that digital sales for the holiday 2012 shopping season are expected to increase at least 20%, thanks to two additional shopping days and amped-up retail marketing efforts.

Louisville, Colo. -- Envysion, Inc., the leading Managed Video as a Service (MVaaS) provider, announced that Chick-fil-A has selected Envysion as a video provider. Chick-fil-A, a leading quick-service chicken restaurant with more than 1,600 locations in the United States, will use Envysion to improve operations, training and customer service.

More than 450 Macy’s stores will feature branded Finish Line footwear departments as the department store retailer and athletic footwear chain have entered into an exclusive agreement.

The deal addresses a major merchandising deficiency for Macy’s as department store retailers are not generally viewed as a destination for athletic footwear. The deal also accelerates growth for Finish Line which currently operates 638 predominantly mall-based U.S. stores compared to Macy’s approximately 840 locations.

The holiday season is competitive on many fronts, including which retailer plans to hire the most seasonal workers.

Pricing studies conducted this week by Wall Street analysts yielded familiar results.

Deutsche Bank analyst Charles Grom and Citigroup analyst Deb Weinswig issued reports this week comparing Walmart’s prices to dollar stores and conventional supermarkets and Target.

Tractor Supply Company president and COO Greg Sandfort will succeed James Wright as CEO of the 1,135 store chain effective January 1.