News

The Scan & Go system Walmart introduced last fall in Northwest Arkansas and Atlanta has been expanded to six new markets.

The Associated Press reported this week that Walmart’s Scan & Go program, initially available in about 70 stores in two markets, has been expanded to 200 stores in new markets including Dallas, Houston, Austin, Denver, Portland and Seattle.

The system enables shoppers who download an app to scan items with their smartphones and then pay at self-checkout terminals by scanning a code that displays on their smartphone screen.

Allow me to be the group historian for a minute. Does anyone remember, in 1984, the "Crafted with Pride in the U.S.A." advertising campaign, spearheaded by the late Roger Milliken, and funded by a consortium of fiber, chemical and textile companies? This was supposed to have instilled enough patriotism in the consumer to buy goods made in America at a furious enough rate to keep manufacturing here on our soil.

WASHINGTON — Walgreens this week opened the doors to its latest flagship location in the nation's capital, bringing to District of Columbia residents and commuters the kind of retail pharmacy theater already familiar with citizens of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. 

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Ross Stores Inc. said Thursday its fourth-quarter net income rose 23%, in line with analysts’ projections. The off-price retailer also announced that beginning with the second quarter of fiscal 2013 it will no longer report monthly sales. Instead, quarterly same-store store sales results will be provided with regularly scheduled earnings releases.
 

New York -- Macy’s announced that it will expand its online order fulfillment center in Goodyear, Ariz., to accommodate continued sales growth as part of the company’s omni-channel strategy. The company is expected to invest more than $35 million in capital in the project.

Houston -- Francesca's Holdings Corp. reported that net earnings in the fourth quarter rose 78% to $14.9 from $8.4 million in the same quarter last year. The company also said it plans to open 80 stores in fiscal year 2013.

Net sales in the quarter ended February 2, 2013, rose 40.6% to $86.7 million, compared with net sales of $61.7 million during the same period in fiscal 2011. Same-stores sales in the quarter increased 9.2%, driven by increased transactions and strong growth in its clothing and jewelry categories.

New York -- Supervalu on Thursday announced the completion of the sale of its Albertsons, Acme, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s and Star Market stores and related Osco and Sav-on in-store pharmacies to AB Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of a Cerberus Capital Management-led investor consortium. The stock deal is valued at $3.3 billion, including $100 million in cash and $3.2 billion in debt assumption.

New York -- Importers and manufacturers who sell to America's major retailers are split as to whether they believe they will see growth and / or reductions in sales for the spring season, according to Capital Business Credit, a non-bank lender that services the retail sector.

SAN FRANCISCO — Janet Hayes, currently the president of Pottery Barn Kids and PBteen, will become president of the Williams-Sonoma brand, effective March 20. She replaces Richard Harvey, who will be leaving the company on May 3, 2013, after 30 years of service.

OAK BROOK, Ill. — Ace Hardware has launched a new marketing campaign, Meet the Aces, designed to promote the hardware co-op/retailer’s personal service. 

The new campaign also reintroduces, for the first time in more than 15 years, the words of Ace’s iconic jingle, “Ace is the place with the helpful hardware man,” but changed slightly (from “man” to “folks”) to reflect all Ace associates.