News

PHILADELPHIA — Customers and employees of extreme value retailer Five Below have raised nearly $345,000 for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for cancer for all children. 

Marlborough, Mass. – According to the latest edition of the seasonal “The Why Behind the Buy” report from Acosta Sales & Marketing, consumers are increasing their usage of every digital tool except for email in their shopping activities. Concurrently, consumers are using traditional tools such as coupons and store flyers less frequently.

Specific results include:

BURLINGTON, N.J. — Burlington Coat Factory was the beneficiary of an unseasonably cool first quarter that resulted in soft sales at some other retailers.

The company’s net sales increased 8.4% to nearly $1.1 billion for the quarter from $982 million for the quarter ended April 28, 2012. Comparative store sales increased 3.4%.

Vancouver, B.C. -- Slow websites are a deterrent for customers using mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, according to a report from mobile technology Mobify, which reveals the financial impact of slow loading mobile websites for the world's top 100 online retailers.

SANTA ANA, Calif. — AlignMed, a developer of wellness wear, has appointed Robert J. Meers as the company’s CEO. He will be charged with driving the company’s growth and strategic direction.

TROY, Mich. — PayAnywhere, a provider of mobile point of sale technology, has launched an upgraded version of its mPOS app for iOS and revamped its merchant portal PayAnywhere Inside.

The app is available for download from the Apple App Store and works with the PayAnywhere mobile credit card reader, which plugs into the audio jack of an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch device, so merchants of all sizes can accept credit and debit card payments directly from their phones or tablets.

NEW YORK — Cosmetic brand Clinique has promoted Jean-Christophe Jourde to the newly created position of SVP and GM of North America. Jourde will be responsible for driving sales and market share growth for the brand in the region and will report to Ricardo Quintero, SVP and global GM of market development. 

NEW YORK — Saks Fifth Avenue plans to launch a new ad campaign encouraging new and existing customers to “discover” what the specialty retailer has to offer via catalogs, direct mail, press initiatives, in-store events, digital marketing, social media and visual displays.

Called “Look,” the ad campaign positions Saks Fifth Avenue as more than just a place for shoppers to buy things they want or need but as a showroom where potential shoppers can search for what is new.