News

Los Angeles - DinCloud, a cloud services provider that helps businesses migrate to the cloud through business provisioning, has released customized cloud services for the retail industry including hosted virtual desktops. Store owners and employees from traditional brick-and-mortar or online retailers can use the desktops to manage store operations remotely from any device including a desktop, laptop, or tablet.

New York -- RadioShack Corp. has agreed to a financing packaging arranged by its biggest investor, hedge fund Standard General, that would help ease the retailer’s cash crunch as it heads into the holiday selling season, Bloomberg reported.

New York -- By 2023, online grocery sales are projected to range between $80 billion and $123 billion according to statistics released by Steve Bishop of Brick Meets Click (BMC) in a presentation at The Food Institute webinar "Get In On The Growth of Online Shopping." If realized, at the middle of those two projections online grocery sales would exceed today's sales of the nation's largest supermarket chain, Kroger.

Winston-Salem, N.C. -- Krispy Kreme Doughnuts announced CFO Douglas R. Muir intends to retire in calendar year 2015. The chain will conduct a comprehensive search to identify his successor. Muir is expected to remain in his current role until his successor is in place and to provide ongoing support during the transition.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens’ same-store stores increased 7.9% in September. Total sales increased 9.4%, to $6.5 billion compared to the same month in fiscal 2014, the company reported Friday.

Comparable store front-end sales rose 1.7%, while comparable store pharmacy sales rose 11.3%.

Walgreens opened nine stores during September, including four relocations, and closed four.

Under Armour, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and economic and community development commissioner Bill Hagerty announced the company's plans to build a new 1 million-sq.-ft. distribution and warehouse facility in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville.

Leadership changes continue at struggling specialty retailer Wet Seal. Just one month after appointing Edmond Thomas as CEO, following John D. Goodman’s departure, CFO Steve Benrubi has resigned. He will remain with the company through December 1 to assist with the transition.

The company said it plans to search for a new CFO, but offered no further details.

Now in its fourth consecutive year, the Crock-Pot brand’s Ultimate Crock-Pot Crock-Star contest has kicked off with a twist. The brand hopes to capitalize on America’s selfie obsession.

This year’s nationwide search for the most inspiring slow-cooker superstar requires aspiring “Crock-Stars” to create a one-minute “video selfie” prepping an original recipe with a Crock-Pot Slow Cooker for a chance at “crock-stardom.”

Mars Chocolate North America is bringing back M&M's Crispy Milk Chocolate Candies to store shelves in January 2015, following a 10-year absence.
 

Walgreens had September sales of $6.5 billion, an increase of 9.4% as compared to the same month in fiscal 2014.
 
Total front-end sales increased 2.2% in September compared with the same month in fiscal 2014, while comparable store front-end sales increased 1.7%. Customer traffic in comparable stores decreased 2.7% while basket size increased 4.4%.