News Briefs

Batteries Plus has elevated its chief franchising officer into a new role.

Joe Malmuth will now serve as chief development officer for the Wisconsin-based consumer and business specialty battery retailer. In this new role, Malmuth will lead the company’s plans for franchise growth and development on the heels of a successful 2023 where Batteries Plus opened 30 stores in 2023 and signed 54 franchise agreements.

Founded in 1988, Batteries Plus has more than 800 store locations in operation and development nationwide, where it offers services including cell phone repair and key fob replacement. Under Malmuth's leadership as chief franchising officer, Batteries Plus introduced its Market Stewardship franchising opportunity that awards franchisees an entire market, with the first of such agreements signed for the Atlanta market in Summer 2023. In Q4 of last year, Batteries Plus signed two, six-store agreements for Charlotte, N.C. and Florida’s Treasure Coast.

"I am incredibly honored to take on the role of chief development officer at Batteries Plus as we navigate this exciting path of expansion," said Malmuth, who has been with the company for nearly four years. "This promotion is not only a testament to my evolving career with Batteries Plus, but also a reflection of our great leadership team and the remarkable franchise community we've built together. I look forward to continuing to grow Batteries Plus' footprint as we strive to strengthen our presence in the specialty battery retail market."

Luxury retail parent company Neiman Marcus Group (NMG) has appointed its new chief legal officer and corporate secretary.

Tom Mattei will fill the roles effective immediately. He currently serves as NMG’s chief compliance officer. Mattei will oversee strategic legal and risk-related initiatives, loss prevention, and matters of corporate governance. He will continue to report to NMG CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck.

Mattei joined NMG in 2020 as assistant general counsel and assistant corporate secretary. He has served in positions of increasing responsibility, including becoming chief compliance officer and recently interim chief legal officer.

Prior to joining NMG, Tom led the legal, risk management and property management departments for food and beverage supplier Farmer Bros. Co., where he worked for six years.

"We are pleased to confirm Tom's appointment as chief legal officer and corporate secretary,” said van Raemdonck. “He has a deep understanding of our business as a former public company general counsel and brings a wealth of experience to this role. We are confident that Tom's expertise will continue to contribute to the success of our company.”

NMG’s brands include Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman. Late last year, NMG rejected a $3 billion purchase offer from Saks Fifth Avenue.

Ross Stores has promoted a company veteran to its C-suite.

The off-price giant said that Karen Fleming has been promoted to president and chief merchandising officer of DD’s Discounts, effective April 1. Fleming, who will be responsible for directing all aspects of merchandising at DD’s, succeeds Brian Morrow, who will transition to a consultant role upon her promotion.

Fleming joined the DD’s buying organization in 2022, after almost 20 years of merchandise leadership roles in several businesses at Ross Dress for Less. Since September 2023, she served as group executive VP of merchandising, DD’s.

 “We are excited to have Karen lead the DD’s merchandising team,” said Ross CEO Barbara Rentler said. “She is a respected executive who has made significant contributions to the growth of our company during her tenure. I am confident that her deep knowledge of the off-price business will benefit the long-term growth of DD’s Discounts.”

Headquartered in Dublin, Calif., Ross operates 1,765 namesake locations in 43 states, the District of Columbia and Guam, as of Oct. 28, 2023, along with 347 DD’s Discounts stores in 22 states.

Nordstrom continues to grow the footprint of its Rack outlet division, announcing two upcoming North Carolina locations.

Nordstrom Rack will open a 32,000-sq.-ft. store at Triangle Town Place in Raleigh, N.C., in fall 2024. The shopping center is owned and managed by Global Net Lease. In spring 2025, the company will open at Sycamore Commons, in Matthews, N.C. The center is owned and managed by InvenTrust Properties.

Earlier this month, Nordstrom Rack unveiled plans to open at Bell Tower, in Meyers, Fla. The center is owned by Madison Marquette; leased by Colliers and managed by Avison Young.

Below is a list of Nordstrom Rack store openings planned for 2024 and 2025 (the list does not include the three three stores from above):

• Houston, Tex. (Meyerland Plaza)
• Omaha, Neb. (Village Pointe)
• Noblesville, Ind. (Hamilton Town Center)
• Franklin, Tenn. (Cool Springs Market)
• Pinole, Calif. (Pinole Vista Crossing)
• Kennesaw, Ga. (Barrett Place)
• Elk Grove, Calif. (The Ridge Elk Grove)
• Gilroy, Calif. (Gilroy Crossing)
• Oceanside, Calif. (Pacific Coast Plaza)
• Wheaton, Ill. (Danada Square East)
• Snellville, Ga. (Presidential Markets)
• Macedonia, Ohio (Macedonia Gateway)
• Jacksonville Beach, Fla. (South Beach Regional)
• Queen Creek, Ariz. (Queen Creek Marketplace)
• Bay Shore, N.Y. (Gardiner Manor Mall)
• San Mateo, Calif. (Bridgepoint Shopping Center)
• San Diego, Calif. (Clairemont Town Square)
• Mason, Ohio (Deerfield Towne Center)
• San Antonio, Texas (Bandera Pointe)
• Mooresville, N.C. (Mooresville Crossing)
• Davis, Calif. (The Davis Collection)

Nordstrom operates more than 350 Nordstrom, Nordstrom Local and Nordstrom Rack locations.

A large number of marketers are concerned about losing access to their brand or retailer’s fans on social media.

According to a new survey from marketing platform Tint, 60% of marketers are worried about losing reach due to increasing fragmentation, dissatisfaction with platform content and changes in social media algorithms.

A large majority (82%) of consumers are more likely to purchase new product varieties because of an online brand community. In addition, 69% of consumers prefer to purchase brands that they interact with in an online community. The same percentage of consumers say the brands they buy reflect who they are and are important to how they want to be perceived.

Consumers continue to participate in online discourse, with 40% of consumers saying their involvement in online communities will increase in 2024. However, only 28% of marketers currently have a dedicated online brand community distinct from social media. 

Tint found that 47% of brand marketers surveyed already own or are in the process of building an online brand community distinct from social media. A vast majority (85%) of marketers believe having a branded online community positively impacts core operations.

"2024 is the year of owned brand communities and Zero Party Data," said Sameer Kamat, Tint CEO. "We have seen how quickly social platforms can change and fall out of favor. Brands are taking back their relationships with consumers."