Marketing

Phoenix -- Leslie’s Poolmart announced plans to grand open three retail locations on May 9. The stores are located in: Los Banos, California; Utica, Michigan; and Jackson, Tennessee.

In total, Leslie's plans to open 45 new stores this year, between April and May. With these new stores, Leslie’s will bring its total store count to more than 850 stores nationwide.  

Chevy Chase, Md. — Formerly known as 2b Bebe, Bebe has rebranded at six Mills properties across the country.

Shoppers will find the new Bebe concept at Arizona Mills (Phoenix), Franklin Mills (Philadelphia), Great Mall (San Francisco), Ontario Mills (Los Angeles), Potomac Mills (Washington, D.C.) and Sawgrass Mills (Ft. Lauderdale/Miami).

The Mills, a hybrid outlet concept, is one of Simon Property Group’s five real estate platforms.

New York -- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., the Chinese Web behemoth, filed paperwork on Tuesday for what some experts claim could be one of the biggest initial public offerings in U.S. history. The company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise $1 billion, but many analysts say the company could bring in more than the $16 billion Facebook raised in 2012.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. announced on Monday that CEO and president Gregg Steinhafel, a 35-year-company-veteran, had resigned, effective immediately. The news comes nearly five months after the retailer disclosed a massive data breach that damaged its reputation among customers and has derailed its business.
 
Target CFO John Mulligan will lead the company on an interim basis until a replacement is named. Steinhafel will serve as an advisor during the transition.  

The search is under way for a new CEO at Target following the revelation Monday morning that Gregg Steinhafel was no longer chairman president and CEO effective immediately.

On an interim basis, Target CFO John Mulligan will serve as president and CEO and current board member Roxanne S. Austin will serve as non-executive board chair. To advise the board on its search for a new CEO the firm of Korn Ferry was retained.

Skechers was not always a brand one associates with running, but times are changing. The brand’s performance division has signed long-distance runner Kara Goucher to its Performance Elite Team.

The multi-year agreement names Skechers Performance Division as Goucher’s official footwear sponsor and will feature the world-class female runner in global marketing and advertising campaigns.

Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) president and CEO Pamela G. Bailey said that the association will honor retired Walmart president and CEO Mike Duke with the 2014 GMA Hall of Achievement Award, the organization’s highest honor, at its Leadership Forum Aug. 23 at The Broadmoor.

San Francisco -- Intel Corp. said it has hired senior Staples executive Steven Fund to oversee its global marketing, effective June 2. He will be responsible for marketing strategy, communications, social media and advertising duties.

"As our industry and our business is changing, we need to change the way we develop, build, and market our products, and Steve is going to be a key asset for us as we move forward," CEO Brian Krzanich said in a statement on Monday.