News

The world is full of powerful women, but a recent listing of the 100 most powerful by Forbes indicates that, with a few exceptions, the publication doesn’t think many are involved in the retail and consumer packaged goods world.

PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi was ranked fourth followed by Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld at number 10 on a list that was otherwise dominated by media personalities, celebrities, politicians and government officials. As for female retail executives, well there were exactly three.

The new Target.com website went live last Tuesday just as Target News Now was hitting in-boxes with an item about the relaunch that began, “Just launch the new site already.” Well, now that the completely reengineered site is operational, it marks the company’s first step on an ambitious plan for multi-channel expansion, according to Target.com president Steve Eastman.

The new Target.com website went live last Tuesday just as Target News Now was hitting in-boxes with an item about the relaunch that began, “Just launch the new site already.” Well, now that the completely reengineered site is operational, it marks the company’s first step on an ambitious plan for multi-channel expansion, according to Target.com president Steve Eastman.

Scottsdale, Ariz. -- JDA Software Group announced that MC Sports, which operates  more than 70 stores in seven Midwestern states, selected JDA Allocation and JDA Size Scaling to help increase revenue while reducing inventory levels.

New Balance has brought its “Experience” format to North America, opening a 4,000-sq.-ft. space in Manhattan’s Flatiron District.

On Thursday, Sept. 8, The Shoppes at The Palazzo and The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian, in partnership with The Venetian and The Palazzo Las Vegas, will host an only-in-Vegas Fashion’s Night Out event.

Celebrity power couple Giuliana and Bill Rancic will guide guests through the season’s most talked-about fashion tips and trends; the festivities kick-off at 6 p.m. on level two of The Shoppes at The Palazzo near Chloè and Piazza Sempione.

As Hurricane Irene raged up the East Coast over the weekend of Aug. 26-28, Apple -- like many retailers strategically positioned in the storm’s path -- turned out the lights on its New York-area stores, including all three Manhattan locations, New Jersey and Connecticut, to shield itself from Irene’s wrath.

But on the same day it temporarily shuttered its East Coast stores, Apple officially opened locations in North Carolina, Arkansas and, yes, France.

By Steve Dispensa, [email protected]

Escalating IT security threats and strengthening regulatory requirements have driven adoption of two-factor authentication among retailers to unprecedented levels. In an effort to stave off increasingly virulent attacks and meet PCI DSS mandates, many retailers have deployed security tokens, like RSA’s SecurID, to secure access to their corporate network and the sensitive customer and payment data it contains.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Cost Plus reported that net sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 were $197.9 million, a 3.2% increase compared with $191.8 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2010. Same-store sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 increased 2.8% compared with a 6.5% increase for the second quarter last year. The increase in same-store sales for the second quarter was due to an increase in customer count of 5.5% offset by a 2.5% reduction in the average ticket per customer, the company reported.

RIDGELAND, Miss. — Viking Culinary Group announced that it has introduced a new line of branded outdoor grills from celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.

Products in the Emeril grill line include: