Marketing

I think it’s exciting to watch retail going back downtown.
 
I remember shopping in big downtown department stores years ago, and I remember when the big retailers began their exodus to suburban malls leaving huge, sad-looking buildings behind.
 
But retail, as they say, follows rooftops, and the rooftops were springing up in suburbia and then further out in edge communities. Today, we all have a number of friends and acquaintances that commute for an hour or more in each direction every day.
 

New York -- Consumer confidence unexpectedly dropped in August from a six-year high as Americans faced rising interest rates, according to the University of Michigan/Thomson Reuters preliminary index of consumer sentiment.

The index fell to 80.0 from 85.1 in July, which was the highest since July 2007. The median projection of 68 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for little change at 85.2.

The outlook component fell to 72.9 in August from 76.5 in July, while current conditions dropped to 91.0 in August from 98.6 in July.

Las Vegas -- Disney Store has opened its newest store, located at the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas, and featuring a wider array of immersive experiences.

Grand-opening on Aug. 17, the new Disney Store will include a Disney Princess castle, magical trees, Disney∙Pixar CARS neighborhood and the Disney Store Theater; unique to Las Vegas is a custom skyline on the ceiling with iconic Disney storytelling scenes and Nevada landmarks.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Terminix has entered the Canadian pest control market with the acquisition of substantially all the assets of Toronto-based Magical Pest Control. It is the first Canadian asset acquisition for the company.

Founded in 1997, Magical Pest Control is one of the largest pest control companies in Ontario. It specializes in commercial accounts and the property management sector, while also treating residential customers. The Toronto company, headed by president Mark Joseph, served customers throughout Ontario and eastern Canada.

LAS VEGAS — SMTP, Inc., a global provider of email delivery services, has appointed Jon Strimling as CEO of the company.

"Jon is a proven executive and entrepreneur, with a track record of driving revenue and earnings growth," stated Semyon Dukach, chairman of SMTP. "His deep experience in operations, marketing and e-commerce will prove invaluable as he leads SMTP through its next phase of growth."

As the turmoil with hedge fund manager Bill Ackman winds down at J.C. Penney, another of the company’s investors is making headlines. This time it’s George Soros, who according to regulatory filings, has added two million shares to his current 19.98 million in Penney holdings.

This latest venture makes Soros Fund Management Penney’s second-largest investor — behind Ackman.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s continues to focus on funding its e-commerce growth following results for the second quarter ended August 3. 

Chantilly, Va. – Operators of franchises are actively involved in the local online and social media presence of their franchise businesses, often funding and controlling digital marketing activities at the local level. A new report from BIA/Kelsey, Local Commerce Monitor Wave 17 (LCM), shows that franchises estimated their franchisors covered, on average, 43% of the online presence costs of their individual businesses, for things like website development, landing pages, enhanced listings and online video