Consumer Affairs & Relations

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — Heineken has announced the appointment of Stacey Tank as SVP corporate relations. She will begin her role on Jan. 3, 2012.

Tank joins Heineken USA from General Electric, where she most recently led corporate relations for “Healthymagination” – GE’s $6 billion commitment to bringing better health to more people. Additionally she led the launch of a $1 billion global cancer campaign in September 2011, which included a $100 million open innovation challenge around breast cancer diagnostics.

NEW YORK — Best Buy has informed some customers that it will not be able to fill their online orders, just days before Christmas, according to the Associated Press.

The chain said late Wednesday that "overwhelming” demand for some products from Bestbuy.com has led to a problem redeeming online orders made in November and December, the report said.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway, in a release issued Wednesday, thanked its customers and employees for their generosity for donating food and toys to a number of Safeway Foundation charities this holiday season.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A regional supermarket chain and its charitable arm once again has donated funds to the United States Marine Corps Reserve's Toys for Tots program.

Stater Bros., along with Stater Bros. Charities, earlier this month presented a $26,000 check to the program, which will be used to purchase toys that will be distributed to community-based organizations in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

Yonkers, N.Y. -- The Consumer Reports Holiday Poll released Wednesday found that a quarter of adults in the United States had yet to begin their holiday shopping as of Dec. 19, compared with 17% last year.

Of those who haven't started shopping yet, 54% cited lack of enough money as a reason, 41% still believe they have plenty of time, while 29% are in procrastination mode.

Union, N.J. — Undaunted by a still difficult housing market, Bed Bath & Beyond blew away analysts’ third quarter earnings estimates and reported a 4.1% same-store sales increase for the period ended Nov. 26.

By Martin Walker and Martin Walker

Based on current worldwide demographic trajectories, in five years there will be more people over the age of 60 than under five. In 30 years, there will be more people over 60 than under 16. In fact, the fastest-growing age group worldwide in this century will be people over the age of 60.

It’s a new year, and with it comes the opportunity for a fresh start for retailers as well as consumers. As in new years past, I’m inundated with a flurry of trend forecasts, surveys and predictions. One of the more interesting ones to cross my desk comes from JWT, New York, one of the world’s biggest marketing communications brands. It is the firm’s seventh annual year-end forecast of trends that will impact consumer behavior going forward.