Marketing

Small suppliers looking to establish business relationships with Massmart following Walmart’s acquisition of a controlling stake in the company would be well served to learn the correct pronunciation of Mncane Mthunzi.

Mthunzi will fill a new supplier development role at Massmart and comes to the retailer from an organization known as the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa where he served as CEO and Massmart CEO Grant Pattison serves as chairman.

New York — Gap Inc. is expanding its Athleta brand. The company will open eight to 10 Athleta stores in 2011, with a total of 50 expected by 2013, according to Women’s Wear Daily. 

As previously reported, Athleta will make its New York City debut this summer, opening two locations in Manhattan.

Milford, Conn. — The Subway restaurant chain announced that a franchisee in Toledo, Ohio, has opened the brand's 8,000th non-traditional location— in a two million-sq.-ft. automobile assembly facility that produces Jeep and Chrysler vehicles.

Boca Raton, Fla. — Office Depot Inc. announced Wednesday that it has appointed Kevin Peters as president, North America, a new position that combines the company’s previous North American Retail and North American Business Solutions divisions.

Peters was previously president of North American Retail.

Shanghai — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced it has appointed its current Canada finance chief Sean Clarke as COO over the company’s China operations, after former CFO Roland Lawrence and COO Rob Cissell left the company in May.

According to a report by Bloomberg, Clarke will be joined by Steve Smith, named chief marketing officer in China. Smith was senior VP at Delhaize Group. 

Dallas< — Alliance Data Systems Corporation  announced it has signed a long-term renewal agreement to continue providing private label credit card services for The RoomPlace.

Under terms of the agreement, Alliance Data will continue providing The RoomPlace with private label credit card services, including account acquisition and activation; receivables funding; card authorization; private label credit card issuance; statement generation; remittance processing; customer service functions; and marketing services. 

CINCINNATI — Kroger on Wednesday launched a new website in support of its Comforts line of baby products, the grocer announced. 

ComfortsForBaby.com will enable busy moms to access and exchange ideas online, offering a community where mothers can share their insights and experiences parenting newborns, infants and toddlers. The website is available in English and Spanish, with the Hispanic microsite designed specifically to engage Latina moms. 

SAN ANTONIO — H-E-B announced that Jennette McCurdy, co-star of Nickelodeon’s "iCarly," will star in its new "Gear Up for Back-to-School" ad campaign. The campaign launched Wednesday and runs through Aug. 31 in Texas.

NORTHFIELD, Ill. — Kraft Foods announced that Michael Clarke, EVP and president of Kraft Foods Europe, will leave the company in mid-August to take a senior executive position with a U.K.-based public company. Kraft Foods has named Timothy Cofer, formerly SVP of the company's global chocolate category team, to succeed Clarke.  Cofer will report to chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld and become a member of the Kraft Executive Team.  He will be based in Zurich, Switzerland.

Specialty retailer Mattress Giant named industry veteran Mike Bookbinder as its new EVP merchandising and marketing. Bookbinder’s name is familiar to those in the world of sleep-related retail, as he spent 11 years with the New York-based Sleepy’s chain where he held various roles including EVP of sales and marketing. He also served as president of City Mattress in upstate New York and most recently was with mattress manufacturer King Koil where he served in a new business development role as SVP sales.