News

NEW YORK and MINNEAPOLIS — Target has teamed up with Fast Company to launch Co.Labs & Target Retail Accelerator, a contest for developers to create a new mobile experience for Target and claim a $75,000 grand prize. Fast Company will chronicle the developers' efforts on its new technology vertical Co.Labs.

AMSTERDAM — Rene Dahan will step down as Royal Ahold's board chairman in October, the Dutch supermarket operator said Wednesday.

Netherlands-based Ahold — which operates the Stop & Shop, Giant-Landover and Giant-Carlisle chains and the Peapod online grocery service in the United States through its Ahold USA subsidiary — said that Dahan would step down after serving on the company's board since 2004. The company plans to propose at its shareholder meeting the appointment of Jan Hommen as Dahan's successor.

DOVER, N.H. — Zander Livingston, CEO of Truecount Corp, an RFID software provider, announced that Truecount is introducing a new Software as a Service (SaaS) pricing and deployment model that places inventory visibility and all other RFID benefits within the reach of any size retailer. 

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Big Lots reported income from continuing operations of $120.3 million, or $2.09 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, meeting the company's expectations for net income to be in the range of $1.91 to $2.10 per diluted share.

Net sales for U.S. operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 increased 4.4% to $1.8 billion, compared to $1.6 billion for the same period of fiscal 2011. Comparable-store sales for U.S. stores decreased 3.5% for the quarter. 

Columbus, Ohio -- Big Lots reported Wednesday that net income for the fourth quarter rose to $120.3 million, from $114.7 million in the year-ago period. Sales in the U.S. increased 4.4% to $1.7 billion from $1.6 billion, and domestic same-store sales dipped 3.5%.

For the full year, income from continuing operations dropped to $177.2 million, from $207.2 million in the prior fiscal year. This year’s results included $3.4 million in charges related to new inventory system implementation.

NEW YORK — The board of directors of the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) has selected Bernard Leifer, president and CEO of The SG Companies, for induction into the LIMA Licensing Industry Hall of Fame.  

The induction will take place at the annual LIMA Awards Ceremony on June 18, 2013 during the industry’s main event, Licensing Expo 2013, in Las Vegas.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club will offer free allergy and health screenings at all of its stores that operate pharmacies, the club retailer said.

The screenings will take place late Saturday morning and into the afternoon, and include up to $200 worth of tests, including allergy screenings for milk, eggs, pet dander, mold, dust mites, wheat, ragweed, mountain cedar, Bermuda grass and Timothy grass, as well as tests for blood pressure, body mass index and vision.

By Mike Poldino, Motorola Solutions

Unless you have recently upgraded your point-of-sale (POS) systems, chances are the bioptic POS in your grocery store today can only scan 1D bar codes printed on the paper labels placed on items or on paper coupons. While that met the needs of yesterday’s POS, times have changed. And in order to provide your customer with the best possible experience at the POS, your POS needs to change too.

Beyond 1D — the new types of bar codes appearing in your POS lanes