Marketing

Having laid a foundation of access, transparency and trust since arriving at Walmart U.S. four years ago, chief merchandising and marketing officer Duncan Mac Naughton’s top priority these days is leveraging joint business planning processes with up to 300 key suppliers to tap new growth opportunities.

Publix credited its customer service for helping fuel third-quarter sale sales of $7 billion, a 5.6% increase from last year’s $6.7 billion. Comparable-store sales for the third quarter of 2013 increased 4.1%.

The company reported net earnings for the quarter of $359.9 million, a decrease of 2.3% from $368.4 million in 2012. Earnings per share for the third quarter decreased to $0.46 for 2013, down from $0.47 per share in 2012.

Naperville, Ill. -- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has approved the merger of Office Max Inc. and Office Depot, the retailers said in a joint statement on Friday. The companies anticipate completing the transaction after market close on November 5, 2013.  

Wolverine Worldwide has appointed Frank Annunziata as VP and general manager of Sebago. Annunziata will be responsible for further developing the brand's global growth platform of footwear, apparel and accessories, and will report to Ted Gedra, president of the company's Heritage Group.

Chicago -- Claire's Stores has entered into a partnership with Dylan's Candy Bar, the world's largest confectionary emporium and lifestyle brand, whereby Claire’s will sell an edited selection of Dylan’s candies. The assortment features nearly 30 items, all under $24 – from lollipops, chocolate bars and fillable gummy bears to cotton candy buckets, cupcake pillows and sweet candy houses

Grocer Harris Teeter credited its pricing and promotional strategies for driving unit sales and customer visits, which led to increased net and same-store sales for fiscal 2013.

For fiscal 2013, sales rose 3.8% to $4.71 billion from $4.54 billion in the year-ago period. Same-store sales for the year increased 2.23%.

Hillshire Brands reported net sales of $984 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2014 — that’s a 1% increase from the prior year’s first quarter, driven by positive pricing and mix in the company's foodservice/other segment.

Retail net sales showed a slight dip of 0.7% in the quarter versus a strong prior year comparable. Favorable mix was more than offset by lower volumes and lower pricing, reflecting higher above-the-line marketing investment.

Dallas — SRS Real Estate Partners welcomes T. Michael McNamara as first VP in the Tampa, Fla., office. A seasoned commercial real estate veteran with 23 years of experience, he will focus on tenant representation, landlord representation and land brokerage services across Tampa Bay and Central Florida.

McNamara comes to SRS from Sperry Van Ness where he was a senior advisor specializing in the sale and leasing of retail, office and industrial properties in the Sarasota, Orlando and Tampa Ba markets.