News

FORT MILL, S.C. — According to the latest “Mobile POS Survey” commissioned by Honeywell and conducted by Harris Interactive online in December, consumers are accepting of a mobile checkout offering at retail — 50% of those who have tried mobile checkouts believed it saves time and 43% like the convenience of paperless receipts delivered via e-mail.

ENFIELD, Conn. — Lego is bringing a new kind of ninja to game enthusiasts.

Ninjago, the newest Lego family member, combines the best of Lego construction play, action-based competitive play and virtual gaming. Ninjago tells the story of four young ninjas who train under the watchful eye of Sensei Wu to master an ancient martial art — Spinjitzu — the art of spinning into a human tornado, to save the world from the evil Lord Garmadon and his skeleton army.

NEW YORK — Front-of-pack labels may not sway customers from purchasing certain items in stores.

Conducting a study among more than 1,000 shoppers on their opinion of such labels and changes in purchase intent among 25 major brands with and without FOP labeling, HealthFocus International found that 43% of shoppers said that it’s unlikely that FOP labeling will impact their food choices, but some purchase intent scores changed by more than 25%.

ATLANTA — Newell Rubbermaid, whose portfolio includes the hair accessories brand Goody, has announced that its president and CEO, Mark Ketchum, will retire later this year.

An executive recruiting firm has been retained to conduct an outside search for Ketchum's replacement and also assist with the assessment of internal candidates, the company stated. To help ensure a smooth and transition, Ketchum plans to remain on the company¹s board through the spring of 2012.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target is opening 21 stores across 12 states, the retailer announced Tuesday.

Among the openings include five stores in California, a third store in Hawaii and a SuperTarget in Minnesota.

“Target takes great pride in designing stores that meet the needs of our guests and the communities we serve,” said John Griffith, Target EVP. “With the addition of an expanded fresh food assortment, our new stores will offer guests everything they need in one convenient location.”

Zappos.com took top honors in the sixth annual NRF Foundation/American Express Customers' Choice Survey, whose results were released at the National Retail Federation's Annual Convention and Expo in New York City. The survey, conducted by BIGresearch, is designed to gauge consumer attitudes toward retailers' customer service and provide a list of the retailer that offer the best customer service (as judged by consumers).

The Top 10 retailers in the ranking were:

Fort Mill, S.C. — According to the latest “Mobile POS Survey” commissioned by Honeywell and conducted by Harris Interactive online in December, consumers are accepting of a mobile checkout offering at retail -- 50% of those who have tried mobile checkouts believed it saves time and 43% like the convenience of paperless receipts delivered via e-mail.

The use of mobile phones in retail is increasing dramatically, according to a survey released at the National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention & Expo in New York City. The study, conducted by ForeSee Results and entitled “Explosion in Mobile Retail Provides Huge Opportunity for Retailers,” found that shoppers are using mobile phones to access websites and apps more than ever before.

The National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention & Expo kicked off  at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Sunday, Jan. 9, with a lineup of power speakers and plenty of buzz. It is the 100th anniversary of  annual event, which attracts retailers from around the world.

This year, the four-day NRF show featured more than 600 exhibiting companies, new retail technology pavilions, and presentations from a stellar line-up of top-tier retailers. Total attendance was estimated at more than 18,500, with representatives from 70 countries.

Ask retail operations executives what their priorities are, and the answer comes down to the two T’s: Talent and Technology.

At the National Retail Federation’s Annual Convention & Expo, experts discussed how they are positioning their companies to for the economic comeback and the efficiencies learned from the downturn.