News

Meijer has selected U.S. Vision as its exclusive vision center in its stores moving forward in an effort to enhance its retail healthcare services across the Midwest.

U.S. Vision, a separately owned and operated company based in Glendora, N.J., is currently a tenant in 50 Meijer stores in Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio, and has plans to open 19 more vision centers in Meijer stores this year. All of its vision centers will be renamed "Meijer Optical" by the end of the month.

Merrimack, N.H. -- Specialty retailer Brookstone Holdings Corp. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, with a plan to sell itself to Spencer Spirit Holdings, owner of the Spencer’s retail chain, for about $147 million. The purchase price comprises $120 million in cash, $7.5 million in new notes and about $18.5 million of assumed liabilities.

Under the agreement with Spencer Spirit, Brookstone would continue to operate its stores in malls and airports, along with its catalog, website and wholesale business, under the Brookstone brand.

Toronto -- Hudson’s Bay Company’s net profit for the fourth quarter fell to $29.1 million from $86.8 million in the year ago period, amid higher expenses.

The company’s sales for the quarter, ended Feb.1, rose 74% to $2.41 billion, largely driven by the inclusion of Saks, which it acquired in November 2013. Same-store sales rose 6.6%, with an increase of 5.2% at its namesake stores, a 3.1% increase at Saks, and a decline of 1.3% at Lord & Taylor.

Washington, D.C. -- The Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), a division of the National Retail Federation, is releasing its Change4Charity Standard. If adopted by point-of-sale vendors and donation processors, the standard will lower costs for retailers and support greater participation in charity programs by smaller retailers and non-profits.

Atlanta -- Footwear retailer Shoe Carnival on April 6 will launch its first integrated national advertising campaign in support of the spring season. The campaign accompanies the brand’s U.S. expansion and debuts a new tagline, "A surprise in store."

Hickory, N.C. --Third-party logistics (3PL) provider Transportation Insight is introducing a line of end-to-end e-commerce solutions. As a full-service 3PL providing domestic transportation, international logistics and warehousing services, Transportation Insight collaborates with e-commerce clients' existing transportation departments.  

The strategic partnership uses the best of the shipper's historic practices and advanced third-party logistics processes to achieve cost reductions, improve supply chain visibility and enhance customer service.

Cologne, Germany -- EVO Payments International, a card payment acquirer and payment service provider operating in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, is releasing a new graphical user interface called Clever Pay GUI in Europe. EVO designed this new interface to make payment acceptance for online businesses easier and faster.

New York -- The month of March saw a steep rise in smartphone-generated traffic, orders, and revenue by consumers to retailer smartphone-optimized websites over the year-ago period, according to mobile commerce platform Branding Brand. In March 2014, smartphones generated 29.4% of total online visits, up 42.7% from March 2013 (62.9% iOS, 36.4% Android). The market share of non-mobile (desktop) visits decreased 21.1% from March 2013 to March 2014.

New York -- Xcel Brands announced that it has acquired fine jewelry and watch brand Judith Ripka for approximately $22.5 million.

Xcel currently owns Isaac Mizrahi New York and has an interest in the Liz Claiborne New York brand.

Bentonville, Ark. – The Sam’s Club Giving Program is providing a $2.5 million grant to grow U.S. women-owned businesses and jumpstart job creation. Awarded to three non-profit organizations, the grant creates the WE Lend Initiative, a two-year investment in strengthening SBA-recognized Women’s Business Centers (WBCs).