News

Plano, Texas – J.C. Penney Company shareholder Alan Marcus is suing the troubled department store chain because of its recent decision to build equity by issuing more than $800 million worth of new stock, which sent share values plunging, Reuters reported.    

The report said Marcus, who bought 300 shares of Penney stock on Sept. 26 shortly before the new stock was announced, is trying to obtain class-action status for his suit.
     

To remain in the same e-commerce class as its peers, Pennsauken, N.J.-based Becker’s School Supplies, Inc. redeveloped and relaunched its online retail site on the WebLinc e-commerce platform.

“We needed a significant upgrade of our Web presence,” explained Robert Bonczkiewicz, catalog manager at Becker’s. “Competitors in our space are top-notch and we needed to get up to speed.”

Los Altos, Calif. -- Catalog Spree, the personal digital mall that lets consumers browse and shop their favorite brands, has teamed with Google to distribute interactive retail catalogs and lookbooks on the web through Lightbox Ads. These targeted ads will feature Catalog Spree's full-page catalogs and lookbooks, and will be distributed on the Google Display Network, which reaches more than 100 million American consumers.

Rochester, Minn. - Tile Shop Holdings has appointed Chris Homeister to the newly created position of COO, effective immediately. In this role, Homeister will oversee supply chain, retail operations and merchandising.

Homeister previously served as the GM and senior VP of Best Buy's Entertainment Business Group, where he led all elements of this multi-billion dollar business across retail and online channels.

Rugged boot manufacturer Wolverine has opened a permanent store in New York's Nolita at 254 Elizabeth St. The company decided to give the retail space a try following its successful New York pop-up venture in fall 2012.

New Balance is joining forces with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service to provide wounded service members with free athletic shoes through the Wounded Care program.

Since 2007, the Exchange and New Balance have provided complimentary footwear to service members who have been injured in action. More than 400 free pairs have been provided to Wounded Warriors this year alone.

Los Angeles – The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has experienced significant lift across key social metrics such as local Facebook fans and impressions using the MomentFeed location-based marketing platform.

Framingham, Mass. – Staples, Inc. has completed the acquisition of Runa, a software company based in San Mateo, Calif., that helps online retailers increase sales by personalizing the shopping experience. Terms and conditions of the acquisition were not disclosed.