Marketing

After helping brands such as Michael Kors, Coach, J Crew and Victoria’s Secret develop and execute digital strategies, Ian Cohen has joined the nation’s largest rent-to-own company as vp of omnichannel.

Mark Phillips was elevated to the role of VP of pharmaceutical merchandising at Walmart after previously serving as the retailer’s senior director of merchandising for small formats.

Dublin, Calif. -- dd’s Discounts, a division of Ross Stores, will open its first store in New Jersey, in the town of Ewing, on June 28.

Including this new location, dd’s Discounts will operate approximately 140 locations in 11 states. The company is on schedule to complete its expansion plan to open approximately 20 locations in 2014.

Together, Ross Dress for Less and dd’s Discounts currently operate over 1,300 off-price apparel and home fashion stores in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.

Walmart continues to press on the mobile phone front with an exclusive deal with Virgin Mobile. As of Saturday, June 21, Virgin Mobile’s payLo will offer customers domestic unlimited voice or unlimited texting for $20 per month.

For budget-conscious consumers who don’t need a smartphone, payLo offers affordable devices and value-driven monthly plans. Customers who purchase a Kyocera Kona or Samsung Montage in participating Walmart stores or at Walmart.com can choose between two exclusive $20-per-month offers:

Latham, N.Y. -- After announcing the realignment of corporate management earlier this month, DWM Facilities Maintenance announced its newly developed Service Enhancement Plan (SEP) to better serve the needs of its existing clients and drive long-term growth. In this strategic shift, DWM will expand the Client Lead role and add multiple account manager positions.

Mississauga, Ontario -- Walmart Canada has appointed an executive from Delhaize Group, Dirk Van den Berghe, as president and CEO, effective Aug. 1.

Van den Berghe, who has 30 years of international business experience, most recently served as CEO of Delhaize’s Belgium and Luxembourg operations. His appointment at Walmart was seen as a way for the discounter to strengthen its grocery business in Canada.

Suburban Atlanta will be home to Keurig Green Mountain’s new manufacturing facility used to produce new cold products resulting from its new partnership with Coca-Cola.

In 1975, when I started what would become Rexall Sundown, the world was a very different place. Gerald Ford was in the White House, there was no social media and the TV universe was limited to three networks and a few local channels.