Marketing

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Things are tough out West. Just ask Big 5 Sporting Goods, which reported another quarter of disappointing results as it continues to buck strong headwinds in the 12 Western states where its 395 stores are located.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Monica Woo will be joining Sears Holdings as VP and CMO for Sears on Aug. 15. She will be the key executive responsible for directing the overall marketing, brand and advertising programs for Sears.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets answered the growing demand for local seasonal produce with the launch of a new campaign highlighting the contributions of its suppliers.

New York City -- Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, the U.S. division of Tesco, has joined the growing number of retailers opening smaller-format stores. The grocery store operator plans to test a new concept, called Fresh & Easy Express, in San Pedro, Calif.

Fresh & Easy’s new format will be in the 4,000 sq. ft. range, compared with its typical 10,000-sq.-ft. footprint.

For more, go to freshneasybuzz.blogspot.com/
 

New York City -- Apple has hired executive search firm Egon Zehnder International to help it find a replacement for its retail head Ron Johnson, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.

The reports suggest that in hiring Egon Zehnder, which has offices around the globe, Apple may be looking for an executive with international retail experience. Apple is set to open nearly 30 stores this year outside of the United States.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings has announced the launch of two Latino social media channels: Facebook.com/SearsLatino and a Twitter handle @SearsLatino.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Winn-Dixie Stores announced that it expects to report net sales of approximately $6.9 billion compared with $7 billion for the prior fiscal year (which included an extra week), reflecting a 0.1% decrease in identical-store sales. Net loss from continuing operations is expected to be approximately $30 million or 54 cents per diluted share, compared with net income from continuing operations of $37 million or 67 cents per diluted share for fiscal 2010. 

NEW YORK — Macy's has announced the launch of exclusive bedding line Bar III. Now available in 100 Macy's stores and on macys.com, items in the line are priced from $40 to $250.

ACE Hardware CFO and EVP Dorvin Lively is leaving the Oak Brook, Ill.-based hardware co-op to  pursue other interests.

Lively joined Ace about three years ago and was promoted to EVP in January 2011. On an interim basis, Lori Bossmann will oversee the finance department, while the co-op searches for a new CFO.

Lively was a professional accounting fellow at the Financial Accounting Standards Board in the early 1990s. He later became a senior VP and corporate controller at Toys “R” Us before moving on to Maidenform Brands, and then to Ace Hardware in 2008.

SAN FRANCISCO —  Levi's announced that it has appointed Beto Guajardo as its new global VP strategy. In this role, Guajardo will be responsible for leading the development and execution of the brand's growth strategy and global business development.