Associations

Laysha Ward was among top business executives and celebrities who participated in the Network of Executive Women’s Executive Leaders Forum July 23-25 near Los Angeles. Ward, along with HSN CEO Mindy Grossman and actress turned activist Gina Davis, share insights about the state of women in business today and their personal experiences.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble has appointed Barron Witherspoon as the company’s VP of industry affairs.  

Witherspoon has a 27-year history in consumer packaged goods at P&G, beginning his career in field advertising and securing positions of increasing responsibility in customer business development across multiple categories and customers and global regions. 

He has served on numerous association boards and is actively involved in helping to leverage diversity across the company and the industry.

New York -- The average household expenditure on all types of back-to-school items is expected to be about $285 this year, with 39% of consumers planning to spend more than last year and 45% planning to spend about the same. According to a new study from the International Council of Shopping Centers and Goldman-Sachs, 29% of households surveyed have started to shop for back-to-school items, which is lower than the 33% that had started at this time last year but more than in any other year since 2004.

ATLANTA — Coca-Cola’s has appointed Santander UK plc CEO Ana Botín to the company’s board of directors.

Santander UK plc is one of Britain’s leading personal financial services companies and a subsidiary of the Santander Group, the largest bank in the Eurozone.

The Global Market Development Center has appointed Jason Weber as its new member services manager and Joshua Manweiler as its new communications specialist as part of its strategy to enhance membership services. 

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation penned a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, asking Congress to pass a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate.  

The impending House vote follows the Administration’s announcement earlier this month of a one-year delay of the employer mandate provisions.

Washington, D.C. -- A first-of-its-kind document could go a long way toward cementing the sustainability relationship between retailer tenants and their shopping center landlords.

The U.S. Census Bureau released a report showing an increase of 0.6% in retail trade sales for June when compared to May. Sales were up 6% when compared to June 2012.

The figures are adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, and exclude automobiles, gas stations and restaurants.