News

MINNEAPOLIS -- Best Buy announced that through Feb. 12 it is offering customers its buy back program for free. To promote the offer, Best Buy has launched a multi-media campaign that began with its Super Bowl spot featuring Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and Justin Bieber.

PLANO, Texas -- JCPenney announced that it has rolled out its findmore smart fixture to over 120 select stores across the country. Additionally, in conjunction with the launch of its Modern Bride concept, the company will begin rolling out a findmore experience using iPad to 50 fine jewelry departments.

MONTVALE, N.J. — Bankrupt grocer A&P has announced the election of Greg Rayburn to its board of directors, replacing Dr. Jens-Jürgen Böckel, who has resigned from the board.

NEW YORK --Liz Claiborne said Friday that Edgar Huber, CEO of Juicy Couture, will be assuming a new position as executive VP global business development for Liz Claiborne, effective Feb. 14.

The company said Huber will continue to report to William L. McComb, CEO, Liz Claiborne.

LeAnn Nealz, president and chief creative officer, and John DeFalco, CFO and COO, will jointly manage the Juicy Couture business while the leadership structure for the brand going forward is determined, according to McComb.

DEERFIELD, Ill. -- David Gregory, host of NBC's "Meet the Press," will deliver the keynote address at BNP Media's Food Safety Summit on April 20.

CHICAGO  -- Element14, a collaborative engineering community and electronics store for design engineers and electronics enthusiasts, announced that Jeri Ellsworth has joined its "ask an expert" panel to further promote the exchange of ideas among professionals, enthusiasts, and DIYers alike within the community. Ellsworth is also offering the element14 community early access to her latest video tutorial, which looks at designing a circuit that triggers sound effects, music and mechanical animation through motion.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Whole Foods announced that it is providing shoppers with a new level of transparency about how farm animals are raised by now offering beef, pork and chicken certified under 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating system.

The rating system is the signature program of Global Animal Partnership, a nonprofit organization that facilitates and encourages continuous improvement in animal agriculture. Independent, third-party certifiers audit farms and rate animal welfare practices and conditions using a tiered system as follows: 

Target director of owned brands Annie Zipfel is among those slated to participate in the fourth annual Network of Executive Women Multicultural Work force conference to be held March 1 to 3. With a theme of “Building Competencies, Growing Business,” the event will focus on the advantages of developing culturally competent organizations.

After a year of steadily declining delinquency rates in Target’s credit portfolio, January proved to be a month of stabilization as the percentage of those 60 and 90 days past due on their accounts held steady when compared with the prior month. Accounts 60 days past due represented 4.2% of credit card receivables in January and accounts 90 days past due represented 3.1%. Both figures were identical to levels recorded in December, but well below peak levels seen in February 2010 when the 60 and 90 day past due rates hit their fiscal year peaks of 6.1% and 4.5%, respectively.

Now that Verizon has the iPhone, AT&T is offering some sweet offers to hang onto its existing subscribers, and it has enlisted the aid of Target to accomplish that objective. Target began selling the iPhone last November three months after announcing a partnership with RadioShack to offer mobile centers in its stores, and on Friday series of trade-in opportunities were offered at the 846 stores where TargetMobile is available.