Retailing Briefs

By TWICE Staff On Jan 10 2012 - 6:01am

Almo Head Chaiken To Chair Charity Dinner

PHILADELPHIA — Warren Chaiken, president/COO of national CE and majaps distributor Almo, and his wife Diane are chairpersons of the 37th annual “Got Guts Gala” Ball, the premier fundraising event of the Philadelphia/ Delaware Valley Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). Chaiken is looking for industry support for the event, which will be held Saturday, April 21, at The Simeone Automotive Museum here (http://simeonemuseum.org) and benefits Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients and their families. To purchase subscriber tickets or an ad in the event’s ejournal, contact Chaiken at wchaiken@almo.com.

Sears Staying In Illinois

HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL. – Sears Holdings, which had been looking to relocate to a more tax-favorable state, said it will remain at its headquarters here after the Illinois legislature granted it new incentives to stay. A formal announcement had not yet been made at press time, pending Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn’s approval of new legislation that will provide some $275 million in tax incentives over 15 years.

“While this legislation still must be signed by Gov. Quinn, this is an important day in our company’s history,” said Sears Holdings president/CEO Lou D’Ambrosio. “Clearly state leaders recognize our impact on the state of Illinois and have taken the step necessary to keep Sears Holdings an Illinois company.”

CEA Throws Support Behind Online Tax Collection

ARLINGTON, VA. - The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has come out in favor of federal legislation that would encourage online-only retailers to collect and remit state and local taxes, thereby leveling the playing field for brick-and-mortar merchants. The trade group acknowledged that its new stance is a reversal of an older policy that supported a tax moratorium for etailers during the Internet’s infancy, and still asks that any change in law not disproportionately hurt smaller webbased companies.

“Although when the Internet was new we opposed efforts to require Internet retailers to collect sales tax in states where they did not maintain a physical presence, today we formally change our position as the landscape has radically changed,” CEA president/CEO Gary Shapiro said in a statement.

AVAD Releases ’12 Catalog

VAN NUYS, CALIF. — AVAD, the custom electronics distributor, has released its 2012 AVAD product catalog. The 140-page, full-color publication features all of the latest products and technologies from the leading suppliers in the residential and commercial industries, the distributor said. In addition to comprehensive product information and specifications, the 2012 catalog also offers dealers exclusive insight into ways they can grow their businesses through system solutions, technological insight and application guides, AVAD said. The 2012 catalog is available to AVAD dealers at each of its 24 North American branches as well as online at www.avad.com.