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A severe winter may have affected sales results for many retailers, but Five Below saw improving trends as it weathered the fourth quarter.

Net sales increased by 22% to $212 million from $173.6 million in the prior-year quarter, which consisted of 14 weeks. Comparable-store sales increased by 0.3% on a 13-week basis.

The company ended the quarter with 304 stores in 19 states, an increase of 25% from the end of the prior-year quarter.

GameStop has launched the GameStop Technology Institute (GTI), a new business unit focused on creating affiliations with leading technology corporations and academic institutions to discover and deliver business innovation and technology solutions “to better address the needs of today’s empowered consumer.”

Last month, Amazon started hiding listings for certain products if they do not have a GTIN, better known as the Universal Product Code (UPC). Now eBay, Google and Walmart have endorsed a drive to help businesses obtain valid GTINs for products sold online.

Both are significant developments in a larger trend, as major e-commerce players look to dramatically reduce the number of inaccuracies that online shoppers encounter every day.
 

Coty has appointed Mario Reis as EVP, supply chain, effective May 1. Based in Geneva, Reis will join the executive committee and report to CEO Michele Scannavini.  

Reis will replace Darryl McCall who will work on the transition and other projects to ensure continuity in supply chain performance before his retirement Dec. 31.

iBeacons, the Apple iOS 7 technological feature that uses low-frequency Bluetooth transmissions to help mobile devices track their position relative to stationary beacons, are getting quite a bit of attention from retailers and the IT vendors who serve them. Each beacon has a unique ID that lets mobile devices tell different beacons apart.

Louisville, Ky. -- Papa John’s is launching a television commercial starring iconic sportscaster Jim Nantz, and Papa John’s founder, chairman and CEO, John Schnatter, touting the company’s online ordering platform. The commercial also reminds consumers that Papa John’s was the first national pizza company with online ordering at all of its U.S. delivery restaurants in 2001.

The nation’s largest mattress retailer has launched new web and mobile commerce sites which rely on a cloud-based solution to support future growth.