Marketing

Salt Lake City – A 23% increase in Overstock.com’s sales and marketing expense helped reduce its second quarter fiscal 2014 net income to $1.9 million, down 48% from $3.7 million in the same period a year earlier. Revenue grew 13% to $332.5 million, from $293.2 million.

Patrick M. Byrne, CEO and chairman of Overstock.com, cited increases in technology spending as helping the company to quickly conceive and execute new ideas such as a recently launched consumer credit facility.

Dublin, Ohio - Brandon Solano, 43, has been named senior VP of marketing of The Wendy’s Company. Solano will report to Wendy's chief marketing officer Craig Bahner and will lead the company's brand marketing efforts.

Prior to joining Wendy's, Solano served three years as VP of franchise development at Domino's, leading retail store expansion, global retail re-imaging and franchise recruiting. From 2008 to 2011, Solano spearheaded product innovation at Domino's. Prior to Domino's, Solano served as marketing director for The Hershey Company.

Tablet point of sale company ShopKeep unveiled a redesigned website, logo and tagline earlier this week. The rebranding is intended to accompany ShopKeep’s growth since it started six years ago, and new features such as customized email receipts.
 
According to ShopKeep CEO Jason Richelson, the company’s new look “respects where we’ve come from but better reflects where we are, and where we intend to go as a company.”

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens announced that  Kermit Crawford, president of  pharmacy, health and wellness, will retire, effective Dec. 31, after 31 years with the company. Crawford plans to join the University of Southern California’s School of Pharmacy, where will serve as executive in residence and senior adviser to the Dean. He also will serve as a senior counselor to Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson.



Walmart named Greg Foran president and CEO of its U.S. stores division to replace Bill Simon, who is leaving the company after an eight-year run.
 

Miami -- Ryder System, a leader in commercial fleet management and supply chain management solutions, announced the launch of its new “That’s Ryder” brand advertising campaign. The campaign, the first of its kind for Ryder in nearly two decades, includes the debut of a new tagline for the company – Ever better.

New York -- American Apparel Inc. announced  four new directors to its board, including the company’s first-ever female board member, Colleen Brown, a former CEO of Fisher Communications, and former Walgreens executive Joseph Magnacca, who took the reins as CEO of RadioShack last year.  

The other new directors are  David Glazek, a partner with hedge fund Standard General, which holds a nearly 44% stake in American Apparel, and Thomas J. Sullivan, a director of Media General.

Dayton, Ohio -- Interbrand, a leading global brand consultancy, announced Wednesday that Lee Carpenter is leaving his current position as CEO of the North America region. Carpenter, CEO of Interbrand North America since 2007, will step down from his full-time role, effective July 23. He will continue to advise Interbrand during the next three months, but has decided to focus his attention on other personal opportunities.