REI kicks off its Anniversary Sale, the co-op’s biggest sale of the year

Unit sales of print book rose 19.5% in the week ended January 30, 2021, over the comparable week in 2020 at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. The increase marks the third consecutive week unit sales increased by at least 19% compared to 2020. For the month of January, print unit sales were 21.3% higher than January 2020. As has been the case for most of January, sales were up by double digits in all major categories. The four children’s publishing segments saw the largest gains. Unit sales of young adult fiction increased by 50.6% over a year ago, and young adult nonfiction sales rose 41.2%. In YA fiction, sales of supernatural/horror rose by 113% over the week ended February 1, 2020.

Learning technology company HMH and NWEA, a not-for-profit, research and educational services organization serving K-12 students, announced today they have signed an agreement for HMH to acquire NWEA. Upon closing, NWEA will operate as a division of HMH, with its current offerings, including its flagship assessment—MAP Growth—remaining under the NWEA brand. NWEA assessment solutions will be integrated with HMH curriculum on HMH’s platform to create a combined offering that links interim assessment to instruction. HMH is a portfolio company of Veritas Capital, a private investment firm that focuses on companies that provide technology and technology-enabled solutions to government and commercial customers worldwide. By combining NWEA’s assessments with HMH’s curriculum, HMH is expected to deliver a holistic solution for educators that helps them understand how students are growing academically and what areas need the most focus to maximize that growth. Most importantly, this solution will turn insights from assessments into content recommendations that help teachers address student-specific skill gaps and advance student learning.

FedEx Corp. announced that it has agreed to acquire ShopRunner, the e-commerce platform that directly connects brands and merchants with online shoppers. ShopRunner’s capabilities will complement and expand the FedEx e-commerce portfolio and are expected to create increased value for brands, merchants, and consumers. The parties anticipate the acquisition to close by the end of the calendar year, and it is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval. ShopRunner connects more than 100 brands and merchants to millions of consumers and offers a seamless shopping experience from inspiration through delivery. Members enjoy benefits including free two-day shipping, free returns, member-exclusive discounts, and seamless checkout. ShopRunner’s data-driven marketing and omnichannel enablement capabilities also help brands and merchants acquire high-value customers and accelerate their digital innovation by using ShopRunner’s e-commerce platform.