News

Chicago - It may seem counterintuitive, but retailers should welcome the irate shopper who vents their frustration. That’s because it’s the mistreated customer who walks out the door in a silent huff who places the most revenue at risk, according to a collaborative study of dysfunctional retail touch-points conducted by LoyaltyOne, Verde Group and Dr. Deborah Small, professor of marketing and psychology, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

CVS/pharmacy is launching a Hispanic-focused rebranding of some of its stores in South Florida, an initiative that the retailer hopes to eventually roll out nationally.

The new and remodeled stores are called CVS/pharmacy y mas. Twelve CVS/pharmacy y mas stores are now open in South Florida, including 11 remodeled CVS stores and one brand new store. They all feature a fully bilingual staff, the addition of more than 1,500 Hispanic products, more competitive pricing on hundreds of products, and new services unique to a national retail pharmacy.

Seattle - Amazon.com continues tweaking its shipping policies. A week after offering free same-day delivery for members of its Amazon Prime loyalty program in select cities, the retailer is now offering all customers free shipping on lightweight items in a program called Fulfillment by Amazon Small and Light.

The eligible goods include cosmetics and mobile phone accessories. There is no minimum purchase requirement, and membership in Amazon Prime, which offers free shipping on all purchases, is not required.

Ace Hardware Corp. has promoted a 25-year employee to the position of vice president of information technology. 

Sterling, Va. – Sixty-four percent of millennial graduates shopped at Target in the last three months, according to new data by Neustar, Inc. The real-time information services and analytics provider uncovered the buying behavior insights of recent millennial graduates and their preferences.

Some insights include:

Target plans to sell its pharmacy business to CVS Health for $1.9 billion and rebrand its nearly 1,700 prescription departments as CVS/pharmacy in a blockbuster deal that stunned the health care world.

The Vitamin Shoppe is hoping to attract more health-conscious shoppers by sponsoring a health expo this month at all 700 of its stores.

All Vitamin Shoppe stores across the country will host a "Share the Health" Expo from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Each store will provide samples of healthy goodies, offer consultations with local wellness partners, plus tips and recipes for healthy living this summer. The first 50 shoppers at each store will receive a free gift bag with product samples from a selection of brands.

St. Petersburg – HSN Inc. is partnering with the Card Services division of Alliance Data Systems Corp. (ADS) to provide private label credit card services for its Cornerstone business unit. Alliance Data will develop loyalty-driven card programs for five of Cornerstone's seven multichannel brands -- Ballard Designs, Frontgate, Garnet Hill, Grandin Road and Improvements – each incorporating a tailored approach for their unique customer base.