News

New York -- Maefield Development, Infinity Urban Century, The Witkoff Group and New Valley, an investment unit of Vector Group LTD announced that they have completed the $430 million acquisition of their Times Square Gateway Center development site. The purchase clears the way for construction of a 340,000-sq.-ft., 36-story, multi-use development that will anchor the northern end of Times Square, with a new retail experience, a hotel tower, and the nation's largest single LED screen.

Dublin, Calif. -- Epicor Software Corp., a leader in business software solutions for manufacturing, distribution, retail and services organizations, announced the company has again been named the leading vendor of point-of-sale software for both specialty soft goods retailers and hard goods retailers by research and advisory firm IHL Group. This marks the second consecutive year that Epicor has been ranked the No. 1 vendor overall in both studies.

New York -- Murphy Oil is splitting in two in order to better focus on the separate tasks of exploration and production, and the sale of gasoline and other goods through its retail locations, the Associated Press reported.

Murphy USA will become a separate company focused on selling fuels. Murphy USA operates retail gasoline stations in 23 states. Murphy USA will also operate seven fuel distribution terminals and ethanol production facilities in North Dakota and Texas.

NEW YORK — Fashion designer Michael Kors has donated $5 million to God's Love We Deliver (God's Love), the New York-based non-profit organization that cooks and delivers individually tailored meals daily to people living with severe illnesses throughout New York City, Newark and Hudson County. This gift serves as one of the largest single donations to a social services organization in New York history. 

LONDON — Showcasing its brands at Brand Licensing Europe this week, Hasbro said it is well-positioned to expand its retail presence in new and emerging markets throughout Europe with innovative and trend-forward licensing programs across many licensing categories. This growth has been driven by Hasbro expanding its U.K. and France licensing teams while at the same time opening new offices and further developing relationships with leading retailers in Russia, Germany, Poland, Turkey, and Spain over the past year.

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys"R"Us has launched its annual nationwide fundraising campaign to benefit the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. The company has once agained teamed up with Shaquille O'Neal to encourage customers to "Give Back with Shaq."

The month saw drop in the number of circulars released to the market by the majority of retailers. However, interestingly we saw flyers increasing pages compared with last year for most of the retailers in the year over year comparison.

Walmart had a significant increase in both the number of circulars as well as number of pages when compared with same time last year.

TOWSON, Md. — Black and Decker is partnering with Richard Petty Motorsports and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Marcos Ambrose. The Black and Decker branded No. 9 Ford Fusion will race at four primary races: Kansas on Oct. 21, Martinsville on Oct. 28, Phoenix on Nov. 11 and Homestead-Miami on Nov. 18.

SALEM, Ore. — Kettle Brand has added toasted snacks to its portfolio of all-natural snacks. New Kettle Brand Bakes are toasted rather than kettle-cooked and contain 65% less fat than Kettle’s fried chips. They contain no trans fats, no artificial colors or flavors, and no preservatives.

Kettle Brand Bakes are the only baked potato chip on the market made from slices of real potato seasoned with natural, savory flavors. Competitive baked crisps are made using dehydrated potato pulp and flakes.

LOS ANGELES — Celliant, a maker of textile technology for apparel, has partnered with Dick's Sporting Goods to launch a new line of Koppen men's and women's baselayers, which features Celliant technology and is available exclusively at Dick's Sporting Goods.