News

TPN’s Bentonville office eyes greater growth
The TPN division of global marketing and corporate communications giant Omnicon has worked with Walmart and its supplier community for more than 10 years and now that it has a physical presence in Northwest Arkansas the retail marketing agency is ready for some serious growth.

TPN, which stand for The Promotion Network, is part of Omnicon’s Diversified Agency Services division. TPN recently open an office in Bentonville and tapped John Meyer to lead the organization which is part of TPN’s 300 person organization with nine offices nationwide.
Fewer promotions put pressure on Toys sales
Toys”R”Us says it is making steady progress with its “TRU Transformation” strategy despite a decline in same store sales in the first quarter.

Same store sales for the first quarter ended May 2 fell 2.3% primarily because of what the company said was "a planned decrease in promotional activity.'' International same store sales rose 1.2%, lifted by increases in the learning and core toy categories. Total sales declined by $154 million to $2.32 billion.

China approves Staples-Office Depot merger

Framingham, Mass. — Staples Inc. has received clearance from the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China for its proposed $6.3 billion acquisition of Office Depot. Staples continues to seek clearance from regulatory agencies in the U.S., the European Union, Canada, and Australia.

The Commerce Commission of New Zealand gave its clearance for the transaction last week.
99 Cents Only posts a steep profit loss

The CEO of 99 Cents Only Stores Inc. says he's confident that the company's core business strategy remains strong despite a sharp drop in net income in the first quarter.
Former JCPenney CMO lands at Yahoo

Yahoo has named the former marketing chief at JCPenney as its new senior vice president consumer marketing.

Debra Berman will be joining Yahoo as our new Senior Vice President of Consumer Marketing, reporting to me. Berman will join the Yahoo marketing team on July 6, bringing with her more than two decades of marketing experience.
Physical and digital meet in Bentonville

Walmart’s saturation of Northwest Arkansas with its Neighborhood Market format continued this week with the opening of a new location on north Walton Boulevard just a few miles from the retailer’s headquarters.
Report: Publix to open smaller format in Fla.

Publix is exploring the possibility of opening smaller format stores in the North Florida area, according to the Gainesville Sun.

The Sun is reporting that the Southern grocery chain has been talking to Gainesville, Fla., city officials about a site near the University of Florida.

Read more by clicking here.
Gordon Brothers Europe names veteran executive as president

London, U.K. — Gordon Brothers Europe (GBE), a firm specializing in restructurings for the retail, commercial and industrial sectors, has named Heinz Weber as president, overseeing the European subsidiary of Gordon Brothers Group. Weber has more 10 years of leadership experience with GBE, including managing director, head of D-A-CH (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), in a 20-plus-year career.
Staples debuts merchandise designed by students

Staples has empowered young students to help create and design school products that solve real-life problems.

Through a unique initiative created by Staples Inc. called Designed by Students. kids have made: a colorful all-in-one writing instrument with interchangeable writing tips. A portable desk that lets students work anywhere. A floating locker shelf that maximizes and stylizes lockers.
Multidev integrates ChainDrive platform with e-commerce channels

Montreal, Canada — Multidev Technologies Inc., a developer of ERP and omnichannel solutions for retailers, is adding web marketplace integration to its ChainDrive enterprise retail management platform. Users will be able to market, promote and sell their products through e-commerce channels including Amazon, eBay, Rakuten, and Newegg.