Associations

David Glass has kept such a low public profile since stepping down as Walmart president and CEO it was surprising to see his name pop up as the featured speaker at an upcoming event in Northwest Arkansas.

Glass stepped down as CEO of Walmart nearly 15 years ago and he’s scarcely been heard from since, leaving those newer to the company to know him largely as the guy after whom the company’s massive information technology building is named.

Walmart COO Gisel Ruiz and president of health and wellness John Agwunobi are listed as speakers at events taking place within the next 30 days in Northwest Arkansas.

Washington, D.C. - Jim Sinegal, Costco co-founder and board member, will receive the Gold Medal Award in 2014 during the National Retail Federation (NRF) Annual Conference and Expo in New York City. In addition, NRF has named South Korea’s Lotte Shopping as the International Retailer of the Year.

Nike has been named Retail Innovator of the Year, and Half Price Books’ Executive VP  and chief strategy officer Kathy Doyle Thomas has been selected as 2014’s Silver Plaque recipient.

The National Retail Federation will honor Jim Sinegal, Costco co-founder and board member, with its Gold Medal Award during Retail’s BIG Show.

Additionally, NRF has named South Korea’s Lotte Shopping as the International Retailer of the Year. Shin Heon, president and CEO of the company, will accept the award. Nike has been named Retail Innovator of the Year, and Half Price Books’ EVP and chief strategy officer Kathy Doyle Thomas has been selected as 2014’s Silver Plaque recipient.

The International Council of Shopping Centers created a terrorist-awareness training program shortly after 9/11. At the time, there were no training programs in place for the shopping center industry.

“We hired George Washington University to develop a program and funded the work with $2 million,” said Malachy Kavanagh, ICSC spokesperson. “We created a 10-module course that is delivered over the Internet. You can learn at your own pace. If you work right through, it will take 14 to 15 hours.”

Upscale department store retailer Bloomingdale’s isn’t a name typically associated with football, but that all changes this year as a result of the Super Bowl being held in New York for the first time ever.

Bloomingdale’s, operator of 37 department stores nationwide, will use its flag ship store on 59th Street in Manhattan to unveil a collection of designer helmets and a unique and stylish collection of entertaining essentials beginning January 15.

Washington -- The National Retail Federation Thursday formally filed an appeal of a controversial antitrust lawsuit settlement covering credit card swipe fees, asking the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court’s ruling.

New York -- U.S. consumer confidence, which decreased in November 2013, rebounded the following month, according to The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which now stands at 78.1 (1985=100), up from 72 in November.

Washington, D.C. -- Driven by improving same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) hit a five-month high in November 2013. The RPI, a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry, stood at 101.2 in November, up 0.3% from October and the strongest level since June.

David Woodley was elevated to the role of executive vice president of sales and marketing at the innovative and family owned Sheetz chain of 460 convenience stores.