News

New York – Leonard Riggio, chairman of Barnes & Noble, has reportedly sold 2 million shares of company stock. According to Reuters, Riggio’s sale, reported in an SEC regulatory filing, lowers Riggio’s stake in Barnes & Noble to 26.3%.

Target was the most-browsed mobile app/site in 2013, and Apple’s mobile app/site is where consumers purchase the most, according to a new study from Mobiquity.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has rolled out college-branded Keurig K-Cup Mini Plus brewers, giving students and alumni even more reason to cheer during their daily coffee break.

“Our new collegiate collection of Keurig single cup brewers is a fun, creative way to allow passionate Keurig consumers to showcase their school spirit while enjoying the great variety of Keurig Brewed beverage,” Dwight Brown, SVP marketing, GMCR said.

Issaquah, Wash. – Costco Wholesale Corp. increased profit and sales during the first quarter of fiscal 2014 that missed Wall Street expectations hurt by a 5.5% rise in operating expenses, lower gasoline prices, and weak foreign currencies.
Profit rose 2% $425 million, from $416 million a year earlier.

Net sales rose 5% to $24.47, missing estimates of $25.4 million.

XPO Logistics has entered into a definitive agreement with Landstar System to acquire NLM, the largest provider of Web-based expedited transportation management in North America.

A second technology product, A3i, is included in the planned acquisition. The acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings, exclusive of any synergies with the company's existing expedite business.

Sport Chalet kicked off the holidays with strong Black Friday weekend and Cyber Monday sales figures and anticipates further growth for the duration of the shopping season.

Black Friday weekend comparable sales were up 17.1% compared to 2012, and Cyber Monday comparable sales increased by 34.8%.

Chicago -- Consumers spent a majority of last week recovering from “Black Weekend” holiday shopping. ShopperTrak – the world’s largest provider of retail shopper analytics – reported that for the week of Dec. 2 to Dec. 8, brick-and-mortar sales of general merchandise, apparel, furniture and other products (GAFO) fell 2.9% compared to the same time last year. Last week’s retail shopper traffic decreased 21.6% compared to the same time period in 2012.

Strategic brand and design firm Chute Gerdeman has named Jim Crawford as VP of technology and experience design — a newly created position.

Crawford will be charged with integrating next-generation technology into the shopping experiences and store designs that Chute Gerdeman creates for its clients.