Marketing

Naperville, Ill. — OfficeMax has named new leadership at its contract division. The company announced that, effective April 2, John Kenning will serve as executive VP and president and will report directly to Ravi Saligram, president and CEO of OfficeMax.

Mississauga, Ontario -- Canadian discount store chain The Bargain! Shop said Monday that it will acquire 10 retail locations from Hudson's Bay Co.’s closing Fields banner, effective Aug. 1.

The acquisitions will grow The Bargain! Shop to 237 stores.

"As part of our plan to further grow our organization, this is a great opportunity for us to expand our footprint across Canada," said Lloyd Davis, president of The Bargain! Shop. 

St. Louis -- A Ross Dress for Less executive suggested that the midwestern United States offers significant growth potential for the discounter. In an interview on the St. Louis Today website, reported Monday, the company’s VP for the midwest region Fred Shuey said that Ross’s two just-opened St. Louis stores will be joined by more.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Stein Mart said Monday it will open three new stores on March 15, located in Irvine, Calif.; Suwanee, Ga.; and Sunset Hills, Mo.

The Irvine store is a relocation of another Irvine location. The two new and one relocated store bring Stein Mart’s total store count to 264.

“We are pleased to announce the expansion of our footprint in these three existing markets,” said Jay Stein, interim CEO.

New York — Stop & Shop announced that its New England and New York Metro divisions and its customers were able to give back more than $22 million in 2011 into the hundreds of communities in which they operate.

Washington, D.C. — Two bills designed to protect "covered critical infrastructure" against cyber attacks by terrorists and others should remain focused on their key purpose and not be expanded to include data breach legislation or broad new privacy regimes, the National Retail Federation said.

The Center for Retail Excellence at the University of Arkansas’ Sam M. Walton College of Business is scheduled to hold its second annual SHOP conference on May 1 with Walmart’s head of global consumer insights recently confirmed as a guest speaker.

Under normal circumstances a dividend increase of 9% would be regarded as pretty solid, but Walmart has spoiled its investors in recent years, so when it boosted its annual dividend to $1.59 from $1.46 this week the increase was viewed as puny.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — General merchandise retailers Shopko Stores and Pamida has completed their merger that will create a $3 billion company that serves largely rural communities in 22 states.

The combined entity will retain the Shopko name. Shopko will be headquartered in Green Bay and Pamida’s corporate headquarters in Omaha, Neb., will be consolidated into the Green Bay office over the next several months.

Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon has the coolest job in the world, and he explained why during a luncheon presentation Thursday at the Cross Church in Rogers Ark. where he touched on his military career, being exceptional and overcoming evil.