News

THOROFARE, N.J. — Checkpoint Systems, a provider of shrink protection solutions, has named Marc Giles to its board of directors, effective immediately.

Giles spent most of his career with industrial technology companies beginning in sales and marketing before expanding into management positions of increasing responsibility and global reach. In 2000, he was recruited by Gerber Scientific, Inc. to serve as president of its Gerber Technology division.

BOSTON — Braintree has been named as a finalist for a 2013 Innovator Award in the category of Most Disruptive by PYMNTS.com.

Following a year of rapid expansion, specialty apparel retailer Body Central said it will pare new store growth to 25 units in 2013 from 39 openings last year.

Body Central opened 13 stores during the fourth quarter to end the year with 276 units operating under the Body Central and Body Shop banners which, according to the company, target women in their late teens and twenties from diverse cultural backgrounds who seek the latest fashions and a flattering fit.

Dedham, Mass. -- iParty Corp., a leading party goods retailer with a strong presence in New England, has entered into an agreement to be acquired by Party City Holdings Inc., North America’s largest party supply retailer.

With 4,000 U.S. stores serving as product depots, same day delivery holds great potential for a retailer with an unrivaled retail footprint, assuming a strategy can be developed to profitably unlock the opportunity.

Walmart has experimented with same day delivery on the west coast where order are fulfilled from stores and a broader rollout of the service would seem inevitable at some point in the future given online shoppers desire for immediate gratification.

ATLANTA — First Data, a provider of electronic commerce and payment processing, announced that it  is working with Foursquare to extend its already-successful Foursquare Specials for Credit Cards program to now accept Visa and MasterCard, and most debit cards. Foursquare has integrated the First DataSM OfferWiseSM solution that seamlessly allows users to sync their card, and then swipe at a participating merchant location to redeem offers and receive automatic savings.

Fourth quarter same store sales inched up 0.9% at Best Buy and profits were better than expected as the company fared better during the holiday season than many thought.

Fourth quarter revenue increased slightly to $16.7 billion for the 13 week period ended February 2, and the company reported adjusted earnings per share of $1.64 compared to $2.18 the prior year. The company also said adjusted free cash flow totaled $965 million thanks to aggressive inventory reductions.

New York -- Publix Super Markets is interested in Harris Teeter Supermarkets, Bloomberg reported.

Royal Ahold, the Netherlands-based company that operates Stop & Shop, is also looking to making a bid for the North Carolina-based chain, according to various media reports.

Harris Teeter released a statement on Feb. 13 in which it said it hired JPMorgan to assist in holding talks with suitors after being approached by two buyout firms.