General Merchandise

LAS VEGAS — With the Consumer Electronics Show approaching, Sears is launching a social media initiative designed to give bloggers early access to consumer electronics information and provide readers with the latest technology news.

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — DreamWorks' latest animated hit is coming to Blu-ray and DVD in a "mega" way.

"Megamind," which features the voices of Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill and Brad Pitt, provides viewers with a funny twist on a superhero tale. When villain Megamind (Ferrell) defeats Metro Man (Pitt) and takes over Metro City, he finds that his biggest problem is a new villain (Hill) that threatens to bring chaos to the town.

RACINE, Wis. — SC Johnson has inked a deal to acquire Sara Lee's global shoe care business, which includes the iconic Kiwi brand.

SC Johnson's portfolio of household products, which hosts such brands as Pledge and Windex, now will feature the Kiwi family of brands, including Sara Lee's Bama International, which sells shoe accessories in specialty channels in Europe and Canada, and Kiwi Kleen, a line of household cleaning products sold mainly in Asia Pacific using the Kiwi branding.

The company expects to complete the acquisition by mid-2011.

BETHEL, Conn. — Duracell is taking its mobile Smart Power Lab tour to the next level.

After collecting human-generated power to light the 2011 numerals during the New Year's Eve ball drop ceremony in New York's Times Square for the third year in a row, the battery brand said it is taking the tour to cities across the country that have been affected by natural disasters. The Smart Power Lab will be deployed to provide power relief and also will provide a place for members of the affected community to recharge, reconnect and recover, Duracell said.

WAYNE, N.J. — Ideavillage donated 150,000 Criss Angel magic trick gifts — valued at more than $1 million — to the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and the Make A Wish Foundation. The gifts were distributed to thousands of locations across the United States, in time for Christmas.

NOVATO, Calif. — Sears has partnered with Sonic Solutions to bring an online movie download service to Sears and Kmart customers. The new Alphaline Entertainment service, available at Alphaline.roxionow.com, enables the retailers’ customers to download new movies the same day they are released on DVD/Blu-ray.

Sonic is working with Sears on a multiphase rollout that includes making the service available from a broad range of connected devices and ensuring compatibility with studio-supported digital programs.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A Kodak corporate VP was appointed chief customer officer this week.

Gustavo Oviedo, who also served as the company's general manager, worldwide sales and customer operations, will fill his role as chief customer officer and general manager, worldwide regional operations on Jan. 1. Oviedo will report to Kodak chairman and CEO Antonio Perez. With this new role, he will serve on Kodak's executive council. Prior to this appointment, Oviedo was a member of the company's operations council.

SAN DIEGO — GreatCall announced a new partnership with D&H Distributing, which now will carry GreatCall's line of Jitterbug J cell phones.

Through the deal, GreatCall's products now will reach 20,000 independent consumer electronics stores nationwide.