News

Maurices adds stores for holiday cheer
The Maurices division of Ascena Retail Group is rolling toward a footprint of more than 1,000 locations with a new round of stores opening in advance of the holidays.

Maurices plans to open sixteen locations before November 10 giving the Ascena subsidiary a total of 938 locations. The company contends the U.S. and Canada can support more than 1,300 locations.
The Wet Seal in cost-cutting mode, announces headcount reductions
Foothill Ranch, Calif. -- The Wet Seal announced a workforce reduction resulting in the elimination of a combination of 78 filled and open positions, including 66 positions at the company’s corporate office, or a 24% reduction in headcount, and 12 positions at the field management level, representing a 20% decrease. The cuts are the first steps in the retailer’s initiative to reduce its overall cost structure.

Plug and Play launches Retail and Brand Meetup Oct. 22

Sunnyvale, Calif. -- Plug and Play Tech Center is launching its first Retail and Brand Meetup on Wednesday, Oct. 22, starting at 5:30 pm PDT. The free event will feature a panel of marketing experts discussing the future of marketing and the importance of brands and retailers staying in touch with the customer at all touchpoint during a consumers path to purchase.
Angie’s List eyes expansion of Indy HQ

Online referral service provider Angie’s List plans to increase the size of its headquarters in Indianapolis and increase the workforce to 2,800 people within five years.

Angie’s List, a review drive enterprise that helps facilitate transactions between more than 2.8 million consumers and service providers in 720 categories, said it plans to grow its base of employees from 500 in 2011 to roughly 2,800 by 2019. The company said the expansion was enabled in part by an attractive incentive plan from the City of Indianapolis and State of Indiana.
MarketYze, Revionics launch Competitive Data Partner Program

Tampa, Fla. -- MarketYze, a provider of pricing and promotion intelligence solutions, is partnering with retail technology vendor Revionics Inc. to launch the Competitive Data Partner Program. The new program enables retailers to seamlessly incorporate all sources of competitive data into their competitive positioning strategies.
Delhaize names tech vet CIO

Delhaize America’s new CIO is confident the company will be able to drive sales growth by leveraging technology.

Retail technology veteran Michael Laurenti was named chief information officer at Delhaize America and will assume his new responsibilities on November 17. He most recently served as CIO at the privately held 300 unit Belk Department Stores chain. Prior to Belk, he worked at Family Dollar, Linens 'N Things and Toys "R" Us. Laurenti succeeds Deb Dixson who spent four years at Delhaize America and announced her departure earlier this year.
Survey: Two in three Americans limit spending

New York -- Two-thirds of Americans are limiting how much they spend each month. According to a new Bankrate.com report, of those limiting their monthly spending, 32% cite stagnant income as the main reason and 29% cite the need to save more.
Revionics adds Brand View as data partner

Price and promotion tracker Brand View has joined the Revionics’ Competitive Data Partner program to enhance the competitive intelligence available to retail clients.
Survey: Retailers use competitive data for pricing

Austin, Texas –- Retailers are in agreement about using competitive data for pricing. According to a new survey of more than 100 retailers by merchandise optimization provider Revionics Inc., 100% of respondents integrate some form of competitive data into their pricing.
Ulta adds finance expertise to board

Leading cosmetics retailer Ulta Beauty named veteran financial industry executive Michelle Collins to its board.