News

ST. LOUIS — SpongeBob and Patrick are heading to Build-A-Bear Workshop thanks to an agreement between the retailer and Nickelodeon. Beginning Friday, May 17, customers will be able to make their own SpongeBob and Patrick dolls at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores throughout North America and on the retailer’s e-commerce site for $23 apiece.  

SpongeBob’s Bikini Bottom friends Sandy Cheeks and Gary the Snail will also be available as pre-stuffed minis for $10 each.

RadioShack is courting the college market and has entered into a five-year agreement with NACSCORP, a subsidiary of the National Association of College Stores.

Under the agreement, the retailer will offer an assortment of consumer electronics and accessories to the nearly 4,000 college store customers NACSCORP currently serves.

SEATTLE — Blue Nile, an online retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry, has appointed former Aeropostale co-CEO Mindy Meads to its board of directors. 

Meads has 35 years of experience in the global apparel industry. She currently serves on two public boards — Wet Seal, a specialty teen brand, and Mela Sciences, a bio tech company. In these roles, she provides strategic counsel focused on growth and the use of multichannel business strategies.

Cincinnati -- Macy’s reported increases in sales and income for the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period a year earlier, despite cool weather that delayed spring shopping in key markets. Net income was $217 million, a 20% hike from $181 million in the year-ago period.  

While net income slightly beat analyst predictions, same-store sales rose 3.8%, short of the 4.3% expected by analysts. Net sales totaled $6.39 billion, up 4% from $6.14 billion in the year-ago period.

CINCINNATI — Vantiv is teaming up with NCR Corporation to offer small businesses innovative point-of-sale technology integrated with leading payments solutions. 

Under the multi-year agreement, the companies will focus on developing exclusive solutions and expanding their innovative technology platforms to deliver personalized customer experiences that help smaller merchants compete more effectively against larger competitors.

Kroger plans on putting food waste to good use with a clean energy production system that converts food that cannot be sold or donated into clean energy, which will help power its Ralphs/Food 4 Less distribution center in Compton, Calif.

DALLAS — Kimberly-Clark has launched Depend Guards and Shields, two products specifically designed for men with light bladder leakage, as part of a new program called Guard Your Manhood, which offers tips and tools from former professional football star Tony Siragusa. 

New York -- A Tuesday report by Reuters said that J.C. Penney Co.’s real estate holdings – including stores, DCs and headquarters – are worth a total of $4.06 billion.

An appraisal was conducted for Penney and subsequently disclosed in a presentation to potential lenders that was also filed with U.S. regulators.