aggregatedcontent

Residents of Little Canada have always been proud of their city, and now they can show it by wearing a new line of apparel sporting the town's name. The city recently held a grand opening for its online store, where residents can buy short- and long-sleeve T-shirts, polos, sweatshirts, hockey jerseys, hoodies, hats and fleece jackets with the city name or logo. The St. Paul suburb has long sold a line of clothing at City Hall, but the website will expand the offerings and the city won't be stuck with merchandise that doesn't sell, City Administrator Joel Hanson said.

In 2002, California stores reportedly insisted that staff "buy and wear at work the brands they sell" in what industry experts described as "a practice that violates state law," reflecting industrywide concerns. At the time, one employment attorney insisted "the issue is black and white" as statutes protect people from being forced to buy uniforms.

J.C. Penney unveiled a new corporate logo yesterday, giving the store its third in as many years. The new branding evokes the American flag but jettisons everything else that was familiar about the company's last two logos.

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s Cos. said Friday it has appointed Richard Dreiling, CEO and chairman of Dollar General Corp., to its board of directors. He will serve on the board’s audit and governance committees. Dreiling has also served in corner-office positions for Duane Read, Longs Drug, Safeway and Vons.

Meijer Inc. has appointed J.K. Symancyk to the newly created role of chief operating officer and hired Peter Whitsett to succeed Symancyk as executive vice president of merchandising and marketing. “As we position our company for continued growth, it’s essential that we have the proper structure and talent,” said Hank Meijer, co-chairman and CEO of the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer. “This evolution of our leadership team under [company president] Mark Murray will help ensure our company’s ongoing success in a very competitive industry.” Symancyk will report directly to Murray and will have three direct reports: Janet Emerson, EVP of

Staples announced the opening of a new e-commerce innovation center. The office will house teams responsible for designing and implementing innovative new e-commerce solutions for the business customers who shop Staples' websites and stores.

New York City -- Rona, the largest chain of home improvement retailers and distributors in Canada, has appointed Dave Carr to the position of VP retail, Western Canada, and François Hardy to the position of VP dealer-owner network development. After beginning as an employee of a Totem store lumberyard in 1992, Carr quickly climbed the ranks to become assistant manager, then store manager. After managing several stores in Alberta, Carr became a regional manager, then general manager, and finally VP of Totem in 2008, three years after Rona's acquisition of the company. Carr, along with the other regional VPs

Do-it-yourselfers can now use PayPal to pay for everything from hammers to lumber to appliances thanks to retail chain The Home Depot. The home-improvement store has entered into the second phase of a pilot in which PayPal's point-of-sale technologies is available to shoppers when checking out. The technology is now available in 51 Home Depot stores and is open to the public. PayPal said Thursday it has invited more than half a million PayPal users to register for the pilot, which is available in 44 Home Depot stores across the Bay Area, one store in Atlanta and six stores

There's nothing more embarrassing for an executive than bragging about a customer, only to find one's claims were incorrect. eBay CEO John Donahoe learned that lesson this week in a case reminiscent of a similar faux pas made by former eBay executive Stephanie Tilenius. In Donahoe's case, he bragged during last week's conference call that Macy's had turned to eBay to reach Australian consumers. But according to StorefrontBacktalk, Macys.com was already selling to Australian customers using third-party vendor FiftyOne, and finding, in fact. The retail blog also found that Macy's eBay Australia store currently has no products. A Macy's

By the summer of 2012, Best Buy Canada customers will begin to experience the speed and convenience of mobile point-of-sale (POS) in select Future Shop and Best Buy pilot store locations. Implemented on the service oriented architecture (SOA)-based Stella Nova (www.sntinc.com) Mobile Retail Framework, the new Mobile POS solution is architected to keep POS functionality independent of the mobile device and its operating system. This will enable the company to adapt seamlessly to future shifts in mobility trends and technology. The system will also allow the company to manage all aspects of customer interaction via a simple, intuitive user