Content about ATLANTA

May 2, 2013

Kroger announced plans to host the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the Southeast at Fiesta Atlanta at Centennial Olympic Park this Sunday.

ATLANTA — Kroger announced plans to host the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the Southeast at Fiesta Atlanta at Centennial Olympic Park this Sunday.

May 1, 2013

Former Oracle exec new top dog at Red Book

Red Book Connect, a global service-driven technology solutions company serving the retail, restaurant and hospitality industries, has appointed Larry A. Abramson as its CEO, a previously unfilled position since the formation of the company in January 2013.

ATLANTA, Ga. — Red Book Connect, a global service-driven technology solutions company serving the retail, restaurant and hospitality industries, has appointed Larry A. Abramson as its CEO, a previously unfilled position since the formation of the company in January 2013.

April 25, 2013

Aaron's names new COO

Aaron's, a lease-to-own retailer specializing in the sales and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has named David L. Buck as its new COO.

ATLANTA — Aaron's, a lease-to-own retailer specializing in the sales and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has named David L. Buck as its new COO.

The company’s current COO, Ken Butler, 60, will retire May 1, after 39 years. Butler will also resign from the board of directors.

April 25, 2013

Coca-Cola names former Ernst & Young exec VP

Coca-Cola’s board of directors has elected Robin Moore as one of the company’s VPs.

ATLANTA — Coca-Cola’s board of directors has elected Robin Moore as one of the company’s VPs.

Moore, 47, was recently named chief of internal audit, effective May 1, replacing Connie McDaniel who is retiring after 24 years with the company. Moore is currently global director of finance operations in global business services. She began her career with the company in 1995 and has assumed roles of increasing responsibility including senior audit manager in corporate audit and director of financial reporting in the controller’s group.

April 18, 2013

Predictix appoints new EVP and chief scientist

Supply chain solutions company Predictix has appointed Ronald P. Menich, Ph.D., as its new EVP and chief scientist.

ATLANTA — Supply chain solutions company Predictix has appointed Ronald P. Menich, Ph.D., as its new EVP and chief scientist.

Predictix provides retailers and brands with platforms and tools that enable them to drive competitive advantage and market differentiation.

April 10, 2013

Macy's heats up the grilling competition

Macy's has launched a new contest to find America's best griller. Customers can enter the "Macy's Great American Grilling Guru" contest via Facebook.com/macys from April 9 through April 27. Six finalists will be pitted against each other in a "Sizzle Showdown" on June 8 in Atlanta.

NEW YORK — Macy's has launched a new contest to find America's best griller. Customers can enter the "Macy's Great American Grilling Guru" contest via Facebook.com/macys from April 9 through April 27. Six finalists will be pitted against each other in a "Sizzle Showdown" on June 8 in Atlanta. One winner will earn the coveted title of America's Greatest Grilling Guru and receive the grand prize: $10,000 and a trip to Macy's 4th of July Fireworks in New York City.

March 28, 2013

Newell Rubbermaid to open design center in Michigan

ATLANTA — Newell Rubbermaid announced plans to open a new design center by early 2014 in Kalamazoo, Mich. This will enable Newell Rubbermaid to add depth in new design specialties, join a strong local presence of design-led companies including Herman Miller , Steelcase, Whirlpool, Stryker and Wolverine, as well as participate in a growing educational community that includes Western Michigan University.

March 21, 2013

Mobile checkout coming to more stores

The Scan & Go system Walmart introduced last fall in Northwest Arkansas and Atlanta has been expanded to six new markets.

The Associated Press reported this week that Walmart’s Scan & Go program, initially available in about 70 stores in two markets, has been expanded to 200 stores in new markets including Dallas, Houston, Austin, Denver, Portland and Seattle.

The system enables shoppers who download an app to scan items with their smartphones and then pay at self-checkout terminals by scanning a code that displays on their smartphone screen.

March 18, 2013

Innotrac names CFO

Innotrac Corp., a best-of-breed commerce provider integrating digital technology, fulfillment, and contact center solutions to support global brands, has announced the appointment of Steve Keaveney as its new CFO.

ATLANTA — Innotrac Corp., a best-of-breed commerce provider integrating digital technology, fulfillment, and contact center solutions to support global brands, has announced the appointment of Steve Keaveney as its new CFO.

Keaveney brings to Innotrac more than 25 years of experience in finance, accounting and operations for both publicly and privately held companies. He has extensive experience in financial leadership, revenue growth, analysis and budgeting.

March 11, 2013

Coca-Cola to help finance women entrepreneurs

ATLANTA — The Coca-Cola Company and IFC (International Finance Corporation), a member of the World Bank Group, have formed a $100 million, three-year joint initiative to provide access to finance for women entrepreneurs in Eurasia and Africa.

February 21, 2013

Newell Rubbermaid reaffirms outlook

ATLANTA -- Newell Rubbermaid announced it will reaffirm its fiscal year 2013 outlook, as provided in its fourth quarter 2012 earnings press release dated Feb.1, 2013, during its presentation Thursday at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) conference.

The company’s guidance and key assumptions for the full year 2013 are as follows:

Core sales increase of 2% to 4%.
Net sales are expected to grow 1% to 3%

February 5, 2013

Merchandising solutions provider names new CFO

Predictix, a provider of merchandising and supply chain solutions for retailers, has named Bradley White as its new CFO.

ATLANTA — Predictix, a provider of merchandising and supply chain solutions for retailers, has named Bradley White as its new CFO. White is a proven financial executive and joins Predictix with more than 15 years’ experience in treasury, finance, accounting, public company reporting, employee management, strategic planning and tax compliance in diverse global businesses and industries. This comes after the recent appointment of John Simon as Predictix’ new CEO.

February 4, 2013

Newell Rubbermaid Q4 sales beat expectations

ATLANTA — Newell Rubbermaid reported that net sales in the fourth quarter were $1.52 billion, an increase of 1.6% compared with the prior year. Sales growth was largely attributable to the tools, baby and parenting and writing segments and to robust growth in Latin America, the company said.

January 28, 2013

Taylor Swift forges new relationship with Diet Coke

Songstress Taylor Swift has signed on as the new face of Diet Coke's "Stay Extraordinary" campaign, which celebrates the self-assured and aspirational people who enjoy Diet Coke everyday.

ATLANTA — Songstress Taylor Swift has signed on as the new face of Diet Coke's "Stay Extraordinary" campaign, which celebrates the self-assured and aspirational people who enjoy Diet Coke everyday.

January 14, 2013

Sports retailer gets smart about retail analytics

National sporting goods retailer Hibbett Sports has selected a business intelligence platform developed by QuantiSense, which will allow it to leverage retail analytics so it can improve local assortments across all physical stores.

ATLANTA — National sporting goods retailer Hibbett Sports has selected a business intelligence platform developed by QuantiSense, which will allow it to leverage retail analytics so it can improve local assortments across all physical stores.

December 7, 2012

Perdue Partners acquires family-owned logistics company

Perdue Partners has aquired Atlanta-based logistics company Benton Express.

ATLANTA — Perdue Partners has aquired Atlanta-based logistics company Benton Express.

December 4, 2012

Home Depot stays ahead of the appliance brand game

Home Depot has added Samsung to its portfolio of leading appliance brands, which already includes Whirlpool, LG, GE, GE Profile, Maytag, Frigidaire, Electrolux and Adora.

ATLANTA — Home Depot has added Samsung to its portfolio of leading appliance brands, which already includes Whirlpool, LG, GE, GE Profile, Maytag, Frigidaire, Electrolux and Adora.

The home improvement retailer will carry Samsung appliances at its more than 2,000 stores nationwide and online beginning Sunday, December 9.

November 13, 2012

Improved housing market boosts Home Depot's Q3

An improved housing market boosted Home Depot in its latest quarter, as the home improvement retailer reported Tuesday that net income for the third quarter rose to $947 million from $934 million in the year-ago period.

Atlanta -- An improved housing market boosted Home Depot in its latest quarter, as the home improvement retailer reported Tuesday that net income for the third quarter rose to $947 million from $934 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue climbed 4% to $18.13 billion, edging Wall Street’s estimated $17.92 billion in revenue. Same-store sales rose 4.3% in the U.S. and 4.2% overall.

November 12, 2012

Home Depot opens 100th location in Mexico

Home Depot has opened its 100th location in Mexico, according to an article in El Financiero. The Atlanta-based retailer now operates 95 stores in 60 cities in Mexico, where it generates annual revenues of $1 billion, the newspaper said.

In the final quarter of 2012, Home Depot will open stores in the towns of Coahuila, Sonora, Veracruz, Michoacán and Nuevo León.

November 1, 2012

Von Maur uses Oracle to optimize operations and enhance service

Regional department store retailer Von Maur has implemented the Oracle Retail Merchandising System suite of applications to support same-store revenue growth, as well as its scheduled expansion into new markets, such as Atlanta, Milwaukee, Victor, N.Y., and Hoover, Ala.

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif. — Regional department store retailer Von Maur has implemented the Oracle Retail Merchandising System suite of applications to support same-store revenue growth, as well as its scheduled expansion into new markets, such as Atlanta, Milwaukee, Victor, N.Y., and Hoover, Ala.

September 19, 2012

Adidas engages RedPrairie in Singapore markets

SINGAPORE and ATLANTA — RedPrairie, a global supply chain and retail technology provider, announced that Adidas, a global leader in state-of-the-art sports footwear, apparel and accessories, has gone live with RedPrairie Workforce Management (WFM) at its Singapore retail locations. Adidas will leverage RedPrairie WFM to increase employee productivity and optimize scheduling to help adidas deliver optimal customer service to Singapore consumers.

August 9, 2012

Aaron's names new board member

ATLANTA — Aaron's, a lease-to-own retailer specializing in the sales and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, announced that Hubert Harris, Jr., has been elected to its board of directors. Harris is the former CEO of Invesco North America.

June 11, 2012

First Data: May card spending healthy

A report released Monday by First Data Corp. found that same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EPT cards and checks at U.S. retail locations rose 7% year-over-year.

Atlanta -- A report released Monday by First Data Corp. found that same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EPT cards and checks at U.S. retail locations rose 7% year-over-year. April’s growth was 5.7%.

The First Data SpendTrend analysis for the full month of May 2012 showed that, although consumers continued to spend at a healthy clip early in the month, activity did slow as the month progressed. Transaction growth in May held fairly steady at 5.9%.

June 8, 2012

Home Depot will defend its lead in power tools

Speaking at The Home Depot’s 2012 Investor and Analyst Conference in Atlanta, Home Depot EVP merchandising Craig Menear revved up the power tool rhetoric.

Menear said the company intends to defend its position as power tool market share leader.

He also described power tools as a category with a relatively high vulnerability to online competitors. One of the best defenses is a large fleet.

February 21, 2012

Mild weather warms up Home Depot sales

Boosted by mild temperatures and spring-like selling conditions throughout much of the country, Home Depot saw sales rise nearly 6% in the fourth quarter.

ATLANTA — Boosted by mild temperatures and spring-like selling conditions throughout much of the country, Home Depot saw sales rise nearly 6% in the fourth quarter.

The home improvement giant reported fourth-quarter sales of $16.0 billion, up 5.9% from the same quarter last year. Comparable store sales were positive 5.7%, and up 6.1% in the United States.

"We had a strong finish to 2011, and with favorable weather, our business delivered results that exceeded our expectations," said CEO Frank Blake.