Marketing

NEW YORK — Myron E. (Mike) Ullman has rejoined Penney as CEO, effective immediately, replacing Ron Johnson, who is leaving the company. Ullman, who served as CEO of Penney until late 2011, has also been elected to the board of directors.

Johnson’s departure was not all that unexpected given the chain’s mounting losses and sales declines. But it was still a stunning reversal of fortune for the former golden boy of Apple, who left the tech giant amid great fanfare for the top job at Penney.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Monday via a written letter to the House Ways and Means Committee that all corporate tax preferences need to be “put on the table” so that politics can be neutralized and progress can be made.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. & BOCA RATON, Fla. — OfficeMax and Office Depot have announced the committee members tasked with overseeing the process to select a CEO for the combined company and selection of the executives who will help to manage the integration planning process. 

BOSTON — Roam, a leading mobile commerce platform provider, has appointed Scott Goldthwaite as SVP operations. In this role, Scott will assure that the firm’s operations and business processes are aligned with the rapidly evolving needs of its customers as they deploy mobile point of sale solutions. This includes the management of Roam’s Help Desk, IT, data center operations, payment gateway and quality assurance functions.

Discover Financial Services is offering extra cashback for home improvement store purchases.

Discover card members can earn 5% Cashback Bonus on up to $1,500 in purchases at home improvement stores. The deal runs through June 30. 

DALLAS — Alliance Data Systems Corp. announced its retail services business has signed a long-term agreement to provide private label credit card services for Barneys New York.

New York -- Ron Johnson is out as CEO of J.C. Penney. In making the announcement, the company also said that that Myron E. (Mike) Ullman has rejoined Penney as CEO, effective immediately. Ullman, who served as CEO of Penney until late 2011, has also been elected to the board of directors.

Johnson’s departure was not all that unexpected given the chain’s mounting losses and sales declines. But it was still a stunning reversal of fortune for the former golden boy of Apple, who left the tech giant amid great fanfare for the top job at Penney.

New York -- Costco Wholesale appears to be eyeing China's online commerce market, according to published reports.

The Southern Metropolis Daily, a newspaper based in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, reported Thursday that the Issaquah, Wash.-based club retailer was interested in entering the country's e-commerce market and was in the process of looking for local partners.

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Monday via a written letter to the House Ways and Means Committee that all corporate tax preferences need to be “put on the table” so that politics can be neutralized and progress can be made.

New York -- Macy’s and J.C. Penney are slated to be back in New York state court on Monday unless a last-minute settlement regarding Macy’s right – or not – to sell certain Martha Stewart products is reached.

The two retailers are coming out of a month-long mediation stint, but so far no settlement has been reached.

According to a Monday report by Reuters, witness are scheduled to be on the stand Monday and Tuesday, including J.C. Penney marketing executives.