News

San Jose, Calif. – Consumers around the world are accepting of mobile technology and think technology should make payments easier and more connected, according to a recent 15-country survey from PayPal.

Plano, Texas – Pizza Hut is launching an omnichannel summer promotion tying in to the upcoming release of the Aug. 8 “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” live action film. In addition to a custom national television spot and special menu items, the promotion features a number of digital components.

Oakville, Canada – The omnichannel Tim Hortons Duelling Donuts contest kicks off July 7 and at the end of seven weeks, the creator of the next Tim Hortons menu item will be crowned — and they'll win $10,000. New this year, eight finalists will have the opportunity to defend their donut ideas in person to a panel of famous Canadians — Jason Priestley, Jann Arden, Anna Olson and Ben Mulroney.

New York – In a regulatory filing, PetSmart disclosed that its board of directors is considering changes to the company’s capital structure in order to return more capital to shareholders. The disclosure follows a July 3 announcement by activist investor Jana Partners that it holds a 9.9% stake in PetSmart and plans to ask the retailer to explore various options, including a sale.

Retailers have long been urged to employ Big Data analysis to uncover big insights into how their business is performing, how their brand resonates among consumers, and whether their customer experience meets expectations. But the new trend in Big Data is applying much more refined analysis at the granular level to uncover small insights that can combine to reveal even larger truths.

Amazon is expanding its organic and non-GMO natural food offering with the addition of Green PolkaDot Box Incorporated (GPDB), an emerging online food club.

The agreement between the companies is intended to take advantage of strategic food offerings developed by GPDB, including frozen/refrigerated goods and proprietary Living Produce. GPDB sales are scheduled to commence on Amazon this week.  

Office Depot is kicking off its latest back-to-school campaign — Gotta Get It! — which includes more than 1,000 items for $5 or less in stores and online. The company is also offering a new price-match policy to shoppers year-round to drive traffic to Office Depot and OfficeMax locations.

EnTouch Controls, a provider of cloud-based energy management services, is embarking on an aggressive growth strategy and to that end has appointed William Rickman as its new director of national accounts.

Rickman has more than a decade of experience of selling cloud-based financial services and fraud prevention solutions to the restaurant and retail markets.

Bed Bath & Beyond plans to spend nearly $3 billion buying back its own stock during the next two years after weak results earlier this year prompted a sell-off in the company’s shares.