Marketing

Austin, Texas -- Market Basket Grocery Stores, a privately-owned grocer with 34 full-service supermarkets in the East Texas and Louisiana region, has renewed and expanded their agreement for Revionics Life Cycle Pricing Optimization. They expanded the agreement to also include Revionics Advanced Analytics services, such as the Key Value Item (KVI) Analysis, which will enable them to leverage science to better align their KVIs with shopper behavior and the competitive landscape.

Travis Smith is stepping down as Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores’ president and CEO, effective immediately — a role he was promoted to January 31, 2010.

The board of directors is undertaking a comprehensive search to find his replacement. Until then, Jim Kerr, the company’s EVP and CFO, will serve as interim CEO of the company, while continuing in his current role. Kerr will partner with Riddi Kline, EVP of marketing and merchandising, and Tom Williams, EVP of operations and human resources, to manage the business.

Unprecedented volatility and declining milk volumes caused leading dairy supplier Dean Foods to report a second quarter loss and suspend full year guidance.

Sales increased to 9% to $2.4 billion, but the company reported an adjusted loss of $13 million, or 14 cents a share, compared to a prior year adjusted profit of $24 million, or 26 cents a share.

RuMe, an earth friendly lifestyle brand, has appointed Farhan Yasin to its board of directors. Yasin joins RuMe's board to provide strategic guidance on the company's continued innovation and expansion within e-commerce, business operations and managing its rapid growth.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Calloway’s Nursery has named Alicia Hicks as VP marketing, effective Aug. 5. Hicks formerly served as Calloway's director of retail marketing.

With her promotion, Hicks will oversee marketing for all aspects of Calloway's Nursery, which includes 17 Calloway's Nursery locations in Dallas/Fort Worth, as well as two Cornelius Nursery locations in Houston. She will develop strategic marketing plans and customer experience initiatives for both Calloway's and Cornelius brands across all retail locations.

By Breton Leone-Quick and Steve Ganis

Nordstrom has launched its first-ever private label give-back brand, Treasure&Bond, which will be available in the T.B.D. clothing department at 86 stores around the country and on nordstrom.com.

Five percent of net profits of Treasure&Bond will go to nonprofits that work to empower women and girls.

ConAgra, one of the world’s biggest food companies, has begun its search for new CEO, following Gary Rodkin’s announcement to the board that he plans to retire at the end of the company’s fiscal year, May 2015.

The board of directors has established a search committee, led by independent director Richard Lenny, to identify Rodkin’s successor. Lenny is the former chairman and CEO of The Hershey Co. and has served on the ConAgra Foods board since 2009.