Associations

Royal Ahold CEO Dick Boer and Nestlé CEO Paul Bulcke are the new co-chairs of global packaged goods organization the Consumer Goods Forum.
 
The selection of Boer and Bulcke was announced in conjunction with the CGF’s Global Summit in Tokyo. The pair replace outgoing co-chairs Muhtar Kent of the Coca-Cola Company and Gareth Ackerman of Pick n Pay. Ackerman and Denise Morrison, CEO of Campbell Soup Company, were appointed vice co-chairs of the forum.

New York -- President Bill Clinton and Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren on Tuesday were honored as 2013 Fathers of the Year by the non-profit National Father's Day Council.

The awards were given at the group’s annual 72nd annual Father luncheon in New York City, with proceeds from the event benefitting Save the Children’s U.S. programs.

Covington, La. -- Marty Mayer, president and CEO of Stirling Properties, won election as VP of the International Council of Shopping Centers’ Southern Division at RECon in May.

As a divisional VP, Mayer will also sit on the Government Relations Advisory Committee. In addition, he currently serves on the Executive Committee of ICSC’s Worldwide Board of Trustees.

Retailers looking for insight into popular new products in the candy and snacks world can thank organizers of the Sweets & Snacks Expo for doing some heavy lifting.
 
A panel of experts at the 17th annual event sifted through hundreds of samples prior to the sold out trade show in Chicago and found eight worthy of the distinction of “Most Innovative New Product.”

Washington, D.C. -- Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 1.1% in June over the same month last year, reflecting modest growth expectations as retailers head toward the back-to-school and holiday seasons, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.



Washington, D.C. -- Americans will spend a little bit more on dad this year, stretching their budgets enough to show their favorite man just how much he is appreciated, according to a survey by the National Retail Foundation.

The group, 2013 Father’s Day spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, found that the average consumer will shell out $119.84 on dad’s gifts this year, up from $117.14 last year. Total spending for Father’s Day is expected to reach $13.3 billion.

CINCINNATI — Phillips Edison & Company has named John S. Kokinchak, SCSM, SCLS, as GM of Parmatown Mall in Parma, Ohio, Cleveland's largest suburb.

Kokinchak, a veteran executive of the shopping center industry, will assist in leading the transformation of the historic retail location into The Shoppes at Parma, a "Main Street" destination for shopping and dining that will act as a town center for residents of Parma and surrounding communities.

Washington, D.C. -- Los Angeles, New York and Chicago top the list of the cities with the highest organized retail crime activity, with Miami and Atanta rounding out the top five, according to a study by the National Retail Federation.

The NRF’s ninth annual Organized Retail Crime (ORC) Survey found that while organized crime has inched down slightly, it remains widespread. Over 90% (93.5%) of retailers said they had been a victim of organized retail crime during the past year, down from 96% the prior year.