News

PHOENIX — PetSmart's board of directors has named Gregory P. Josefowicz its non-executive chairman. Josefowicz has served as a director since 2004 and as lead director since 2006.

Chairman and CEO Bob Moran will not stand for election as a director at the company’s 2013 annual stockholder meeting. As previously announced, David Lenhardt, current president and COO, will become the CEO of PetSmart at that time.

Retailers looking for insight into popular new products in the candy and snacks world can thank organizers of the Sweets & Snacks Expo for doing some heavy lifting.
 
A panel of experts at the 17th annual event sifted through hundreds of samples prior to the sold out trade show in Chicago and found eight worthy of the distinction of “Most Innovative New Product.”

Total U.S. Shopper Traffic in Retail Stores and Malls for May 2013

Shopper activity had a healthy gain last month. Retail foot traffic increased 9% in May compared to April 2013, consistent with generally positive month-over-month retail traffic trends. Foot traffic for May 2013 increased 6.9% compared to the same month in 2012.

Washington, D.C. -- Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 1.1% in June over the same month last year, reflecting modest growth expectations as retailers head toward the back-to-school and holiday seasons, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.



Hordes of spend-happy young Mexican shoppers are successfully attracting specialty apparel retailers from the U.S. and Europe – and, as mentioned in a recent report by Wall Street Journal, Walmart is feeling the pain.

By Lee Cote, [email protected]

New York – Initial Bloomberg estimates indicate US retail sales edged up 0.4% last month, with growth in the job market spurring increased consumer willingness to spend money. The projected increase is the largest in three months and follows smaller increases of 0.1% in April.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid projected that it would turn a profit in the first quarter of fiscal year 2014, results of which it will announce next week. The company has also moved to refinance its debt, announcing that it would buy half a billion dollars in notes using proceeds from a new loan, while also

The retail pharmacy chain said it would buy $500 million worth of 7.5% Senior Secured Notes, due 2017, using the proceeds from a $500 million second lien term loan.

The offer will expire on July 5 unless it's extended, the company said.

New York – Brooks Brothers is connecting data to the customer experience in order to replicate the highly personalized shopping environment of its stores on its e-commerce site.

“We are connectors,” Cindy L. Hicks, director of analytics for Brooks Brothers, told the audience during a session at last week’s Internet Retailer conference in Chicago. “Our job is to connect data to the customer experience with a software package.”

Salmon Arm, British Columbia – Affiliate health-and-wellness retailer Salkam Online Solutions LLC is opening a new online store at YouNeedIt.biz. The site offers products including health and wellness books, exercise machines, weights, footwear, in-home training items and vitamins and supplements. YouNeedIt.com recommends products from partner retailers and does not maintain its own inventory.