News

NEW YORK — Barnes & Noble has introduced Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight, the world’s first e-ink device with patent-pending lighting technology.

The GlowLight, according to Barnes & Noble, is especially good for bedtime reading as it offers just the right amount of light without disturbing one's partner.With a soft, adjustable glow, GlowLight gives bedtime readers just the right amount of light for reading, without disturbing a sleepy spouse. According the company, the e-reader also displays well in daylight.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — American Greetings is launching a new line of cards featuring designs from noted artist Mary Engelbreit later this year as part of an ongoing collaboration. The greetings will be included in seasonal programs beginning this Halloween and sprinkled across everyday programs by the end of the year.

The Canadian consumer is a value conscious, “tough nut to crack,” who is already well-served by existing retailers, according to Diane Briesebois, president and CEO of the Retail Council of Canada, a trade association founded in 1963 that represents retailers that operate more than 45,000 stores and account for 85% of Canadian retail sales.

New York -- Gucci said Wednesday it has launched its own mobile point-of-sale program at select directly operated U.S., Europe and Asia locations.

Through this program, Gucci is leveraging technology to create a unique customer experience and to better serve clients when they are shopping in its stores.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. reported Thursday that it narrowed its loss in the fourth quarter to $163.8 million, from a loss of $205.7 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue rose 10.7% to $7.15 billion from $6.46 billion, beating Wall Street’s expected $7.12 billion in revenue. Same-store sale increased 3%.

For the full year, Rite Aid reported a loss of $368.6 million and revenues of $26.1 billion.

The Network of Executive Women announced that Walmart U.S. chief operating officer Gisel will be a featured speaker at the organization’s sixth annual Network of Executive Leaders Forum to be held July 31 through Aug. 2 at the Terranea Resort near Los Angeles.

While Walmart maintains its small format stores are still in pilot mode, Dollar General continues to open its 7,000-sq.-ft. units at a dizzying pace. DG recently surpassed 10,000 units and has plans for 625 new stores this year with a long term goal of doubling in size. Expanded offerings of food and consumables and sharp prices on national brands present a serious threat to customer traffic at supercenter.

NEW YORK — After projecting that consumers likely would spend the same or more at retail this spring, Deloitte reported Thursday that its Consumer Spending Index climbed in March, marking only the third monthly increase over the past 12 months.

The Index, which comprises four components — tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices — rose to 1.80 from an upwardly revised reading of 1.52 the previous month. Despite this increase, however, Deloitte noted that several factors may be restricting consumer cash flow: