News

The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has presented retired Walmart president and CEO Mike Duke with its 2014 Hall of Achievement Award at the GMA Leadership Forum at The Broadmoor. The Hall of Achievement Award represents the highest honor given by the more than 100 year-old association.

Hudson’s Bay has appointed John Caplice to the position of SVP, treasury and investor relations, effective Sept. 2.

Bigcommerce, a global e-commerce platform, has added Patty McCord, former chief talent officer at Netflix, to the company’s board of advisers.

Best known for pioneering talent management programs used by top employers around the world and her collaboration on the Netflix Culture: Freedom & Responsibility vision document, which went viral and has been read by millions of people globally, McCord will work closely with Bigcommerce leaders to build and expand existing talent initiatives as the company enters its next stage of growth.

ShopYourWay, the digital loyalty, marketing and shopping platform of Sears and Kmart, has enlisted YouTube celebrities Ricky Dillon and Jenn McCallister to be “curators of cool” for the site.

Dillon and McCalister collaborated with Shop Your Way to deliver their first semester fashion picks, creating catalogs members can like, follow and share. They have nearly 10 million fans combined on social media networks such as YouTube, Instagram and Twitter.

Global lifestyle brand Lacoste is gearing up to launch a free downloadable mobile application called Lacoste City Tennis. The brand partnered with a leading sports and entertainment agency, Lagardere Unlimited, to bring the concept to digital life.

Lacoste City Tennis offers users an interactive experience that aims to make playing tennis in New York City more accessible. The app’s immersive features allow users to check out Lacoste products as well as follow the sport through tournament feeds.  

Ann Inc. is being urged to explore options, including a sale, by activist investor Engine Capital and Red Alder. The two firms, who collectively own more than 1% of the outstanding shares of Ann Inc., are publicly urging the company to sell at a substantial premium above current stock price.

In an open letter to the retailer’s board of directors, Engine Capital and Red Alder stated that the company is “deeply undervalued” and could be worth $50 to $55 a share to an acquirer, or a 33- to 46.5% premium to its current stock price.

Ralph Lauren is diving into wearable technology waters with the unveiling of a high-performance, fashion-forward Polo Tech shirt on opening day of the US Open.

The Polo Tech shirt is an innovative new product from a fashion brand that merges biometrics into active lifestyle apparel, marking a revolution in advanced technology designed to improve general wellness and increase personal fitness.

The shirt features sensors knitted into the core of the product to read biological and physiological information.

Amazon has reached an agreement to acquire Twitch Interactive, a leading live video platform for gamers. In July, more than 55 million unique visitors viewed more than 15 billion minutes of content on Twitch produced by more than 1 million broadcasters, including individual gamers, pro players, publishers, developers, media outlets, conventions and stadium-filling e-sports organizations.

PetSmart has partnered with the City of Sacramento to bring a portable, popup dog park to Sacramento. The dog park, which provides more than 9,000 sq. ft. of space for pet owners and their pets, is now open.

There are currently two other PetSmart P.U.P.s in the country: one in Phoenix, Arizona, and a second in downtown Detroit (Detroit’s first urban dog park). In addition, PetSmart plans to bring a P.U.P. to one more community by the end of 2014.

New York -- Toms, the footwear company best known for donating a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair it sells, has sold a 50% stake in its company to private equity giant Bain Capital LLC. The investment will help Toms expand its distribution in Europe, Asia and in the United States, including increasing its store count from its current two locations.

The investment reportedly values Toms at about $625 million, including debt. Blake Mycoskie, who founded Toms in 2006, will retain a 50% stake and remain at the helm.