Marketing

Hoffman Estates, Ill. - Sears Holdings on Friday joined the growing list of retailers and other companies severing ties with Southern celebrity chef Paula Deen in the wake of the controversy regarding her use of a racial slur. Both Sears and Kmart sold Paula Deen products.

“After careful consideration of all available information, we have made the decision to phase out all products tied to the brand,” Sears said in a statement. “We will continue to evaluate the situation. Our members’ needs will be given first priority.’

Hicksville, N.Y. - The battle between the board of Men’s Wearhouse and its founder and former chairman, George Zimmer, continues to have a significant negative impact on the company’s online image.  According to a report by GenSent Insights, the company’s sentiment score, a measure of the tone surrounding a brand on a scale of -100 to +100, plummeted from an average of + 68 in mid-June to a low of -52.  The sentiment on Twitter alone fell from an uncommonly high score of +93 to a low of -80. 

Minneapolis - Target announced plans to open new stores in Fresno and Rocklin, Calif., in March 2014.

The Fresno store will be part of the Marketplace at El Paseo shopping center. The Rocklin store will be part of the Rocklin Commons shopping center.

The Fresno Northwest store will be approximately 140,000 sq. ft.

Atlanta - Spanx, the fast-growing dollar undergarment and apparel company, will open a custom designed, expanded company headquarters and a flagship store in Buckhead Atlanta, a major mixed-use project in the heart of the area’s business district. (The project, now under construction, was initially called Streets of Buckhead.)

The headquarters will occupy three floors, a rooftop garden terrace and additional balconies. Spanx is anticipated to move in November 2014.

Shareholders of Coinstar, the company behind the ubiquitous RedBox dvd rental machines, have adopted the name Outerwall as a new corporate identify.

The name change was confirmed at the company's annual meeting of shareholder on June 27, but an official tally of voting results won’t be available until July 2.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Kid Brands' board is going to see some changes, following Hugh Rovit's announcement that he will not be seeking re-election as a director at the company's annual shareholders meeting.

SAN FRANCISCO — Converse is adding to its roster of stores in key metropolitan areas with the opening of its first location in San Francisco, bringing the leading footwear brand's total of inline locations in the U.S. to five.

Janet Carter Smith was named SVP of market develop at Park City Group, a supply chain management company focused on technology solutions to enhance in-stock.

In her new role at Park City Group, Carter Smith will be responsible for developing business solutions, consulting and expanding efforts in market development.

Demand forecasting helps Curacao react to cultural shifts

Any good retailer gets to know its customers, and not just their product preferences but also who they are, where they come from and what they aspire to. This type of intimate knowledge allows retailers to forecast and meet product demand with the highest degree of accuracy.

Randy Dewitt

CEO,

Front Burner Restaurants

HEADQUARTERS: Addison, Texas

TYPE OF BUSINESS: Casual-dining (Twin Peaks)

NUMBER OF UNITS: 36 Twin Peaks restaurants in 16 states