Smartphone makers continue to battle it out in TV

spots. A new :60 for the Nokia Lumina 1020 from Crispin

Porter + Bogusky is set to debut on-air Sunday on

Sunday on the MTV Video Music Awards, but is already

online. It pitches the Microsoft Windows 8 phone as

having superior camera capabilities, as compared to

its Apple and Samsung rivals……The nation’s largest

sporting goods retailer has gotten into video production

with Dick’s Sporting Goods Films Presents Hell Week,

produced by Dick’s in partnership with

Anomaly and Optimum Sports. The

documentary chronicling the Station

Camp High School football team as

they endure a preseason overnight

training camp deep in the Tennessee

mountains made its debut last night on ESPN2……

General Electric is investing $30 million and adding more

than 150 employees to its domestic lighting manufacturing

operations to meet demand for its GE Energy-Efficient

Soft White light bulbs. The announcement coincides with

a new agreement between Walmart and GE, as part of

Walmart’s $50 billion domestic manufacturing commitment

to bring more American-made products to consumers –

putting the U.S.-made GE light bulbs on the shelves of

3,400 Walmart stores by summer 2014……Comparable

store sales grew 3.4% in the second quarter for PetSmart,

with total sales up 5.3% to $1.7 billion. The company is

expecting third quarter comparable store sales to be up

3-4%……Second quarter net sales were up 8% to $3.87

billion for Gap Inc. Same store sales rose 6% each for Gap

and Old Navy, but were down 1% for Banana Republic.

The retailer has also been ramping up a new brand,

opening six Athleta stores in the second quarter, for a total

of 46 stores open to date, and the brand is on pace to

end fiscal 2013 with about 65 stores……Clothing retailer

The Buckle reported second quarter net sales up 7.9%

to $232.5 million, with comparable store sales up 3.2%.

Online sales rose 5.3%.The Bretail stores in 43 states.