Marketing

ROCKFORD, Mich. — Wolverine Worldwide has appointed Gene McCarthy as president of the Merrell brand. 

"Gene McCarthy is a visionary leader with a passion for brands and consumers," said Blake W. Krueger, chairman, CEO, and president of Wolverine Worldwide. "Merrell has been and continues to be a leader in the outdoor space and a jewel within the Wolverine portfolio — I am thrilled to have Gene join the Merrell team as it continues its drive to be the first billion-dollar-brand in our Company's history."

ZAANDAM, Netherlands — Dutch supermarket-operating company Ahold has appointed Abbe Luersman as the company’s chief human resources officer.

Ahold said that Luersman, who will report to CEO Dick Boer, will assume the new position on Nov. 1. Ahold's U.S. division operates the Stop & Shop, Giant Food Stores of Carlisle, Pa., and Giant Food of Landover, Md., supermarket banners, as well as the Peapod online grocery service.

Lafayette, La. — Hungry Howie’s has opened a new pizza shop in Lafayette, La., near the University of Louisiana campus.

It is the third store for the young franchise. The other two stores are in nearby Baton Rouge.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings’ second-quarter loss widened as the company was challenged with store closings, weak sales and deep discounts. Its performance was also impacted by the lingering effects from its spinoff of its Hometown and Outlet Stores banner.

For the period ended Aug. 3, Sears lost $194 million, compared with a loss of $132 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue dropped 6% to $8.87 billion, from $9.47 billion. Same-store sales fell 1.5%, with a 2.1% drop at Kmart and a 0.8% drop at Sears.

HUDSON, Ohio — Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores has appointed Tom Williams to SVP of store operations and human resources, replacing Ken Haverkost.

Haverkost announced his retirement as EVP of store operations, a position he held since joining the company in 2007. He will remain a part-time employee through March 2014 to assist in the transition process.

Stein Mart is preparing to launch its e-commerce business. The company expects the initiative to have a negative bottom line impact this year, in part, because of startup costs.

For the second quarter ended Aug. 3, however, the company is enjoying total sales of $291 million, up 3.8% from the prior-year quarter. Comparable store sales increased 6.4%. 

New York -- A disconnect between chief marketing officers and chief information officers threatens the ability of companies to deliver effective customer experiences, according to a new study by Accenture. Only one-in-10 of executives believing collaboration between CMOs and CIOs is currently at the right level.

Hudson, Ohio -- Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores named Tom Williams as senior VP of store operations and human resources. He replaces Ken Haverkost, who is retiring effective Aug.31.

In addition to retaining his current responsibilities overseeing all corporate human resources functions for Jo-Ann, Williams will assume responsibility for leading the store operations organization, covering more than 18,000 employees and more than 800 stores. He will continue to serve as chairman of the company’s benefits advisory committee