WASHINGTON (AP) — Macy’s department store chain will pay a $750,000 penalty for failing to report it had sold children’s outerwear that had been recalled because it had drawstrings. Such garments pose strangulation and entanglement hazards.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Monday that the Cincinnati-based retailer agreed to pay the civil penalty. Macy’s denied CPSC allegations that it knowingly violated the law.

The commission alleged that Macy’s failed to immediately report it had sold children’s sweatshirts, sweaters and jackets with drawstrings at the neck between 2006 and 2010. The clothing was also sold at Macy’s-owned stores including Bloomingdale’s and Robinsons-May. T

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PARIS German supermodel Claudia Schiffer launched her first cashmere collection during Haute Couture fashion week in Paris with the hope of creating a lasting brand that she could pass on to her children.

The 40-year-old former Chanel muse said she has been thinking of getting into fashion design for years and had finally decided to start with the kinds of clothes she wore all the time as a working mom such as cashmere dresses and sweaters.

“I am always very busy, I have a family life… I want to wear the same outfit when I bring my children to school and then go to work with it and in the evening I want to be able to just change accessories,” Schiffer told Reuters at the launch of the Claudia Schiffer clothing line in trendy Paris boutique Colette.

“Effortless chic. Read full article…

For a long time electronic gaming seemed a fairly isolated market, relegated as it was to unique consoles with only a single application. A recent survey from Nielsen, however, found that games have come to dominate the mobile software market.

The survey found that nearly two-thirds – 64 percent – of all mobile app users reported playing games on their phone within the past month, compared to only 44 percent for music, 39 percent for news or 26 percent for movies. The only other type of app to come close to gaming were weather apps, which were used by 60 percent of respondents.

Games also gained a substantial advantage on one of the most crucial questions. As many as 93 percent of respondents at least said they were willing to pay for games. Compare that to news, which only 76 percent felt was worth paying for. Read full article…

Ah the company blog, it seems everyone’s got one (this is ours!), sadly not everyone is doing a great job blogging. When Businesses get it right – their sales are more consistent according to hubspot.

There is also a clear correlation between frequency of posts versus acquisition of new customers – more posts equals more new customers however in the crowded playing field of social media it’s hard to stand out and company blogs can end up on the blog burnout heap.

Avoid the following steps and you can be on your way to growing your audience, and acquiring more customers.

Follow These Steps To Kill Your Blog

1. Don’t hyperlink to other relevant areas of your website or blog. Make sure

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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Game makers are crafting more sophisticated story lines and creating characters that evolve based on their experiences within a game.

It’s an attempt to interest new customers and reverse a decline in video game sales as the maturing business competes for attention with new devices like the iPad.

A new crop of games calls for players to make choices that go beyond selecting a weapon. Players are asked to make moral decisions that force the game’s narrative, and their characters, to evolve. “Bioshock Infinite” and “Star Wars: The Old Republic” tap into this vein.

U.S. sales of gaming consoles and video games hit a peak in 2008, at $21.4 billion, according to market research firm NPD Group. S

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