Marketing

New York -- As new CEO Ron Johnson works to transition the “old” J.C. Penney into a new era filled with shop-in-shops, he and his team have devised a way to keep the store looking fresh during the changeover: they use a lot of mannequins.

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ATLANTA — Home Depot has added Samsung to its portfolio of leading appliance brands, which already includes Whirlpool, LG, GE, GE Profile, Maytag, Frigidaire, Electrolux and Adora.

The home improvement retailer will carry Samsung appliances at its more than 2,000 stores nationwide and online beginning Sunday, December 9.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Pitney Bowes has appointed Marc B. Lautenbach as its new president and CEO, effective immediately. Lautenbach succeeds Murray D. Martin, who is retiring as the company’s chairman, president and CEO and has resigned from the company’s board of directors.

Martin will continue to work with Lautenbach, who has nearly 30 years of experience in the technology and business services industry in senior leadership positions at IBM, on an effective transition.

Broomfield, Colo. -- Mrs. Fields Cookies said Tuesday it will open a new location at Arista Place, located in Broomfield, Colo.

The flagship store, which is slated to launch construction this month, will feature a new store design and branding. It is expected to open in March 2013.

The new design, said the company, will incorporate more soft seating and a retail area for ordering cookie gifts online. The corporate location will also serve as the company’s training university for new franchisees.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Former Belk executive Carl Scibetta has been named the new EVP and GMM at Shoe Carnival. Scibetta will report to Cliff Sifford, the former GMM, who was recently appointed president and CEO of the company.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN announced Tuesday it has appointed Karen Etzkorn to the newly created position of chief information officer of HSNi, effective Jan. 3.

Etzkorn is charged with overseeing all aspects of information technology for HSNi's two operating segments -- HSN and Cornerstone.

Etzkorn was most recently senior VP and CIO for Ascena Retail. Prior to that, she was senior VP and CIO at Tween Brands and has also held senior technology roles at The Home Depot, Williams-Sonoma, Gap and Limited.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples and LinkedIn have teamed up to launch SUCCEED: Small Business Network, an online forum for small business professionals.

Seattle -- Nordstrom said it plans to move its full-line store located at South Bay Galleria three miles south to Del Amo Fashion Center, Torrance, Calif. The two-level, 138,000-sq.-ft. store will open in 2015 as part of a major renovation of Del Amo Fashion Center that was announced Monday by Simon Property Group.