Marketing

Atlanta -- Jones Lang LaSalle announced Wednesday two new hires in the Southeast Region.

Andrea Kenney and John Lambert have joined the firm to provide strategic planning and evaluation of the positioning, merchandising and development of shopping centers as owners continue to look for ways to enhance their real estate operations and maximize tenancy.

New York City -- Brixmor Property Group announced Tuesday a series of corporate and regional enhancements to its leasing and redevelopment capabilities as it re-focuses on growing portfolio occupancy, strengthening retailer relationships and ramping-up redevelopment efforts.

Timothy J. Bruce has been appointed executive VP, leasing and redevelopment and as a member of the company’s Management Committee.  

General Growth Properties is leveraging social media to promote Halloween. The mall owner has launched an online Halloween photo contest that prompts participants – from Oct. 17 through Nov. 2 -- to visit their local GGP mall’s Facebook page and upload a Halloween photo for the opportunity to win a family vacation for four to Universal Orlando Resort.

Paraiso Town Center in the Thousand Oaks, Calif., master-planned community of Dos Vientos Ranch is being renamed The Village at Dos Vientos Ranch, announced Peter Cohen, president of Paradise Capital Group, which acquired the 50,000-sq.-ft. mixed-used retail and office complex in June 2010.

A new name was very important toward rebranding and marketing the property, said Cohen. “We wanted to give the center a fresh start with a new name that was easy to pronounce and remember,” he said.

WASHINGTON —The National Retail Federation announced that it is pleased with President Obama's efforts to implement three pending Free Trade Agreements. 

The Associated Press reported last week that First Lady Michelle Obama was sighted shopping incognito at a D.C. area Target store wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses. Secret Service agents arrived about a half-hour before Mrs. Obama, who walked in through the main entrance with an assistant and spent 30 to 40 minutes shopping and pushing her own cart, according to AP.

The revelation this week that Target chief marketing officer Michael Francis had jumped ship to become president at JCPenney was a surprising development that sucked some of the oxygen out of the retailer’s Minneapolis headquarters. Target is all about marketing and Francis was instrumental in shaping some of the most interesting customer communications the marketing world saw during the past decade. He was so highly thought of that earlier this year he was tapped to lead Target’s entry into Canada, arguably the company’s most significant longer term growth driver.

The revelation this week that Target chief marketing officer Michael Francis had jumped ship to become president at JCPenney was a surprising development that sucked some of the oxygen out of the retailer’s Minneapolis headquarters. Target is all about marketing and Francis was instrumental in shaping some of the most interesting customer communications the marketing world saw during the past decade. He was so highly thought of that earlier this year he was tapped to lead Target’s entry into Canada, arguably the company’s most significant longer term growth driver.

The pricing gap between Target and Walmart narrowed last month to a scant 1.7% as Walmart took prices up slightly during August while Target did the opposite, according to a monthly survey by the retail research team at Credit Suisse.

Wayne, N.J. — Ahead of the holiday season, Toys"R"Us announced that it will expand its layaway program and incorporate flexible payment options in order to spur holiday sales. The retailer is offering its layaway service along with Bill Me Later to enable customers to complete purchase through a series of smaller payments over time.

Toys"R"Us introduced layaway in 2009 for such big-ticket items as bicycles and swing sets and on Oct. 15 will expand the program to include playthings in 450 of its 600 stores.