News

Startup launches customized shopping portal
A new e-commerce startup is aiming to shift the paradigm in the world of online shopping with the release of a customizable deal dashboard. Mytotefish.com offers a dashboard for users to organize their favorite stores (including coupons, sales and shipping deals) in one centralized location.
Ex-Giant Food exec hired as Albertsons/Safeway CAO
The recently merged Albertsons and Safeway organization has appointed Justin Dye as chief administrative officer of the combined company. Lee Wilson, who previously held this position with the company, has elected to stay in his role as consultant and not go forward as an officer with the newly combined organization.

Giant Eagle exits discount grocery; closing Good Cents Grocery + More

New York -- These are tough times for discount grocery stores — unless the company happens to be the fast-growing Aldi. Pittsburgh-based supermarket operator Giant Eagle plans to close all eight of its Good Cents Grocery + More stores. The closures are set for March 26.
Report: GameStop bids on RadioShack leases

GameStop is trying to boost the number of its stores by bidding on 163 leases from RadioShack Corp, according to Bloomberg.

The news service reports that Spring Communications, the wireless unit of GameStop, submitted and won a significant bid for the leases.
CST Brands net income soars in Q4 on fuel, CPG margins

San Antonio, Texas – Net income soared on rising margins in fuel and consumer packaged goods at convenience/fuel retailer CST Brands Inc. in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. Net income rose 176% to $94 million from $34 million in the same quarter a year earlier.

Revenues dropped 13% to $2.7 billion from $3.06 billion. For the full fiscal year, net income rose 44% to $200 million from $139 million. Revenues fell 4% to $12.18 billion from $12.78 billion.
Jo-Ann teams up with Boys & Girls Clubs

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores is aiming to attract more families with a new corporate giving campaign.

The fabric and craft specialty retailer announced that Boys & Girls Clubs of America will be a major recipient of Jo-Ann corporate giving in 2015. To help inspire young minds, customers will be able to purchase a “pin-up” upon checkout to benefit the organization from March 1 through April 4 at all Jo-Ann stores nationwide.
NPD partners with Slice for e-commerce data offering

Palo Alto, Calif. - Global information company The NPD Group has partnered with Slice Intelligence to provide comprehensive, retailer-independent e-commerce data available. For the first time, NPD will offer comprehensive, cross-retailer e-commerce data that is directly measured from e-receipts from Slice’s panel of two million consumers.

The data will be classified using NPD’s industry-standard product dictionaries, and validated by NPD’s benchmark databases.
Physical and digital united by NPD deal

NPD Group and Slice Intelligence have announced a partnership that the companies say will create a more comprehensive data offering for retailers.

Specifically, as the announcement explains, mobile and e-commerce data from Slice Intelligence will be included in NPD’s existing checkout tracking service.
Kohl's Cares about school field trips

Kohl’s is sponsoring a Milwaukee-area school grant program for the third year in a row. The Kohl’s Cares Field Trip Grant Program gives more than $1 million in funding to schools throughout the metro-Milwaukee area.
Barneys gets closer to the customer

New York - For the upscale, 33-store Barneys New York, customer experience is everything. Affluent shoppers buying high-priced merchandise have certain expectations beyond the availability of quality items, regardless of channel they choose.

“We want every customer to have an online experience personalized to their taste profile, preference and geography, just as we would do in our flagship stores,” Matthew Woolsey, executive VP of Barneys digital, told Chain Store Age.