News

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Kellogg Company has once again been named one of the "40 Best Companies for Diversity" in 2012 by Black Enterprise magazine. The recognition reflects the company's ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion and marks the sixth time Kellogg has been named to the list.

The holiday hype has begun, and Target this week launched one of the first salvos, announcing an innovative partnership with 24 designers and the upscale department store chain Neiman Marcus.

Indianapolis — In light of poor performance in its video category, electronics retailer Hhgregg has lowered its fiscal 2013 guidance.

Hhgregg is expecting net sales for its first quarter to be approximately $490 million, an increase of approximately 13.5% as compared with the $431.5 million of net sales reported in the fiscal first quarter last year. The company attributes the sales growth to the net addition of 30 new stores during the quarter.

New York -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) urged the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance to reach a contract agreement well in advance of the Sept. 30 deadline in order to prevent a disruption to the flow of goods.

The ongoing labor negotiations affect 14 East and Gulf Coast ports, which together account for 95% of all containerized shipments to the Eastern seaboard.

By Peter Leith, [email protected]

Chicago -- Year-over-year national retail sales and foot-traffic are expected to increase for this August’s back-to-school season, according to ShopperTrak, with the overall sales number coming in 4% higher than last year.

"This increase will follow year-over-year U.S. retail sales growth in 28 of the last 29 months,” said Bill Martin, ShopperTrak founder. “August will present retailers with a tremendous opportunity to take all steps possible to maximize their shopper opportunity and increase conversion rates."

Framingham, Mass. -- When comparing social media investment to other emerging technology areas, retailers more than any other industry are making strong investments, according to a new study by International Data Corp.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Co. announced the continued global expansion of the Starbucks mobile platform with the roll-out of Starbucks app for Android to the United Kingdom and Canada.

In addition, U.S. customers who download or update to the official Starbucks app for Android will be able to experience new enhancements including a widget, PayPal support, PIN code protection, and viewing the My Starbucks Rewards history dashboard.

Abilene, Kan. -- Alco Stores announced the promotion of Brent Streit to senior VP marketing and e-commerce.

Streit in 2001 he joined Alco, then known as Duckwall-Alco Stores, as a buyer. Since then he has held increasingly responsible positions in supply chain management, marketing and business development.
 

Having past the calendar’s mid-point, we thought it would be interesting to take a look at the most viewed stories of the year to date on Chainstoreage.com. (Based on the results, it’s clear that J.C. Penney is shaping up as THE story of 2012.) Here are the Top 10 stories of the first six months: