Marketing

Washington, D.C. -- Executives at Amazon, Kohl’s, Crocs and Lululemon have been named recipients of the National Retail Federation’s annual awards. Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos received the Gold Medal Award, recognized for serving the industry with distinction and achieving a national reputation for excellence.

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — Unilever has donated nearly $850,000 and three million pounds of Unilever brand products to Feeding America, the nation's leading hunger-relief organization, in 2012.

The financial contribution comes from joint cause marketing programs and support from the Unilever United States Foundation.

WALTHAM, Mass. — Profitect, a provider of retail software, has appointed Mike Mitchell as its new director of global professional services.

Mitchell will lead the company’s project management and business consulting efforts. Prior to joining Profitect, Mitchell served as VP of customer service for Agilence, Inc., overseeing all product implementation, support and professional auditing services.

COMMERCE, Calif. — 99 Cents Only Stores has revamped its website to better showcase a range of new capabilities, including bulk purchases and in-store pickup of online orders.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ EVP and CFO Jim Huber is retiring after 25 years of service.

He will be succeeded by David Fitzsimmons, who has been promoted to SVP of finance and administration, effective December 21. Fitzsimmons currently serves as VP of finance and accounting.

Walmart’s ongoing investigation into bribery allegations was thrust into the spotlight again on Monday after the New York Times ran a lengthy piece detailing how an elaborate series of payments accelerated construction of a controversial store in Mexico City.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Global work wear brand Dickies has signed a new licensing agreement with R & S Sales Company, a leading developer and marketer of slippers and flip-flops in the U.S.

WATERBURY, Vt. — Green Mountain Coffee Roasters has implemented several changes to its board of directors.

GMCR has elected Norman H. Wesley as its new chairman of the board and appointed former Kellogg Company head A. D. “David” Mackay as an independent director. Michael J. Mardy, who had previously served as interim chairman, will continue in his role as audit committee chair.

BEAVERTON, Ore. — Nike has named Roger Wyett as its new VP of Action Sports. Wyett will oversee Nike brand’s skateboarding and snow businesses, as well as Hurley International LLC.

Sandy Bodecker, the current VP of Action Sports at Nike, will now work on special projects involving long-term product innovation. Additionally, Jim Calhoun, CEO of Converse, will report directly to Mark Parker, president and CEO of Nike.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples Inc. opened its new Velocity Lab, in Cambridge, Mass. The lab houses teams responsible for designing and implementing innovative new e-commerce and mobile solutions across Staples’ global business units.

The move is part of the office supply retailer’s recently announced strategic plan to accelerate growth by integrating its retail and online offerings and increasing investment in online and mobile capabilities to provide business customers with a seamless multichannel shopping experience.