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During July and August, the U.S. Postal Service is offering an up-front 2 percent discount on Standard Mail and First-Class Mail letters, flats and cards (presort and automation) that include a two-dimensional barcode or print/mobile technology that can be read or scanned by a mobile device. When scanned, the technology must activate a link directly to either a mobile-optimized web page that allows the mail recipient to purchase a product or service or to a mobile-optimized and customized web page uniquely tailored to the mail recipient and accessible by a personalized URL.

/PRNewswire/ -- LuxeYard, Inc., (OTCQB: LUXR), the fast-growing boutique luxury flash sale site, announced today it has expanded into the men's apparel sector. The trendsetting, members-only web site will feature 10 to 15 designer labels, as well as popular up-and-coming brands, at discounts of up to 70 percent off retail on a range of apparel and accessories. The men's fashion industry has seen tremendous growth in recent years as men are becoming more focused on what they are wearing and more interested in showing a sense of individuality. The LuxeYard site has embraced this growing trend by offering a

Sales at retailers barely rose in April as the boost from an unseasonably warm winter faded, pointing to some loss of momentum in consumer spending early in the second quarter. Retail sales edged up 0.1 percent, held back by a decline in receipts from building materials and clothing stores, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. That was the smallest gain since December when sales were flat. March's sales were revised slightly down to show a 0.7 percent rise rather than the previously reported 0.8 percent increase. Economists polled by Reuters had expected retail sales to gain 0.2 percent last

Sales at retailers barely rose in April as the boost from an unseasonably warm winter faded, pointing to some loss of momentum in consumer spending early in the second quarter. Retail sales edged up 0.1 percent, held back by a decline in receipts from building materials and clothing stores, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. That was the smallest gain since December when sales were flat.

Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services negotiated the sale of a 16,016-sq.-ft. Walgreens store on the Las Vegas Strip to a foreign fund for $27.8 million. The price works out to $1,736 per sq. ft., the highest price ever paid for a single-tenant drugstore in the U.S., according to Marcus & Millichap. The property was completed in 2001. Walgreens, which operates 24 hours a day on the site, has a 20-year triple-net lease for the property, which has recently been extended by 10 years. The lease structure provides for a 10 percent rent increase every 10 years, in

Best Buy officials said Monday that former CEO Brian Dunn, who resigned after a company investigation found that he had a personal relationship with a female employee, demonstrated “extremely poor judgment and a lack of professionalism.” However, the probe found no evidence that he improperly used company resources, including the use of aircraft. In related news, Best Buy’s founder Richard Schulze has decided to step down as chairman of the board for the retail chain. The board determined that Schulze “acted inappropriately” when he failed to notify Best Buy’s Audit Committee of the allegations.

Amazon.com has begun its hiring ramp up, with about 50 management positions on the docket currently. The online retail giant, which is opening distribution sites in Lebanon and Murfreesboro, Tenn., is hiring managers in operations, facilities, human resources and other areas, according to the company. This marks an initial swath of hiring on the way toward more than 1,500 jobs. 

Golf Town and Golfsmith International Holdings announced that they've signed a definitive merger agreement, pursuant to which Golf Town will acquire Golfsmith, for $6.10 per share in cash. This represents a premium of 32.2 percent to Golfsmith stockholders based on the volume-weighted average closing prices of the company common stock on the 30 trading days immediately preceding this announcement. The closing of the acquisition is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2012. Upon the closing of the transaction, Martin Hanaka will assume the role of CEO of the combined company. 

While floral and gift brands generally target husbands and adult children with Mother's Day offers, Zales has been zeroing in on moms and daughters on Facebook. The jewelry brand says its "Celebrate Your SuperMom" ads on the social site have targeted women 25-plus years of age. It's also been running promoted tweets on Twitter in an integrated campaign, involving Pinterest, display ads, in-store hashtags, TV spots and catalogs.

Washington Business Journal In the latest bust in what the Justice Department is calling Operation In Our Sites, the department seized more than $1.46 million from online sales of counterfeit sportswear made in China and shuttered three domain names of sites carrying the fakes, Portfolio.com reported. The funds were seized from bank accounts and six money-service business accounts based upon warrants unsealed in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on May 7. See all your followed company news on your personalized dashboard. To access the full benefits of bizWatch and receive a weekly email with aggregated