News

SAN FRANCISCO — Shoppers who use their Visa cards when making purchases at discount stores and grocery stores/supermarkets will no longer have to sign for them if they spend less than $50. Beginning in October, discount stores and grocery stores/supermarkets in the U.S. can accept Visa cards for transactions up to $50 without requiring a cardholder signature or PIN, or providing a customer receipt unless requested by the cardholder.

Total U.S. shopper traffic in retail stores and malls for April 2012

Warm weather and shifting holidays in March caused retail foot traffic to dip in April. Retail foot traffic in April was 7.6% lower from March, and 2.7% lower on a year-over-year basis.  The slow April is the first in the past 3 months to experience a decline in year-over-year and month-over-month retail foot traffic.

Eastleigh, United Kingdom -- SAP AG announced that British multinational home-improvement retailing company B&Q has gone live with the SAP Forecasting and Replenishment application. The deployment is part of the chain’s "Project Clover" business transformation program.

New York -- Barneys New York said that it has reached an agreement with its largest lender, Perry Capital and other lenders to significantly reduce the retailer’s debt and improve its capital structure. Under the arrangement, Perry Capital has become the majority owner of Barneys. Under a debt-for-equity swap with Perry Capital, as well as other lenders, Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Cos and current owner Istithmar World, the chain's long-term debt will fall to $50 million from $590 million. The deal makes Perry Capital the majority owner of Barneys.

PLEASANTON, Calif. and WASHINGTON — The Humane Society of the United States is praising Safeway's efforts to establish a gestation stall-free supply chain.

Safeway annnounced Monday that, due to concernes over animal welfare, it is working toward the goal of purchasing pork from producers that have made commitments to decreasing gestation stalls in their breeding facilities.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears has launched SearsLocalAd.com, an online service that provides customers with access to additional local deals beyond the weekly Sears print circular or Sears.com. The online shopping portal is dedicated to local customers, allowing them to shop smarter by previewing new local deals updated every week, and includes enhancements for Sears' Shop Your Way Rewards members.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets experienced a jump in its net income and operating income during the first quarter ended March 31, the retailer said.

In recent years, specialty retailer GameStop Corp. has been among the fastest-growing global chains, opening 388 new stores in 2009, more than 350 in 2010 and 285 new locations last year. For its current fiscal year, GameStop is ramping down organic growth, anticipating the opening of some 150 stores, in deference to building on its dominant presence in the multichannel PC digital download market.