News

NEW YORK — Saban Brands that Fisher-Price Inc., a subsidiary of Mattel, will be the global master toy licensee for the company's newly announced Julius Jr. property. Julius Jr. is an animated preschool series slated to launch on Nick Jr. in 2013, and is inspired by the Paul Frank family of characters and its iconic monkey, Julius. Fisher-Price plans to produce a full range of products including playsets, plush, role play toys and more for the global marketplace.

The leading online source for auto repair information has received additional funding and deepened its relationship with Cars.com.

RepairPal, already a featured content partner on Cars.com's Web site, gives shoppers access to auto repair and maintenance estimates and advice for common problems from technicians which can result in a visit to a local auto parts retailer or a service department of a dealer or local repair shop.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Friday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates estimated that retail imports will increase 8.5% in February, after a contract deal between the East Coast and Gulf Coast dockworkers is finalized.

The monthly Global Port Tracker report said that, had a key West Coast agreement also been settled, import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports would possibly have seen an additional rise.

NEW YORK — American Express has launched a new venture with Twitter, that could lead to a whole new category of shopping.

With nearly two out of three* consumers using mobile devices to research products and make purchases, the adaptation to this ever changing consumer shopping behavior is more crucial than ever. 

Total U.S. Shopper Traffic in Retail Stores and Malls for January 2013

Retailers pushed to extend the high level of holiday shopping and foot traffic by promoting post-holiday specials and markdowns on seasonal merchandise in January. However, as expected, shopper traffic continued to drop off significantly after the end of the holiday season. 

NEW YORK — Christian Siriano and Payless ShoeSource have teamed up to bring immediate shopper access to affordable runway fashion with the Feb. 18 availability of the LeToile, a direct-from-the-runway style featured in Siriano's show, offered at thousands of Payless stores nationwide and Payless.com for just $30.

By Rob Schmults, [email protected]