Marketing

Bolingbrook, Ill. -- Ulta Beauty said Monday that it has named DSW Inc. president and CEO Michael MacDonald to its board of directors, effective Oct. 24.

Prior to joining DSW in 2009, MacDonald served for three years as chairman and CEO of ShopKo Stores. Prior to that, he spent 16 years with Carson Pirie Scott and with Saks Inc. after it acquired Carson Pirie Scott in 1998.

London -- Barnes & Noble said Monday that its subsidiary Nook Media will partner with U.K.’s largest supermarket chain Asda to sell the Nook reader in 300 Asda stores across the U.K.

Barnes & Noble said it plans to expand the expected number of U.K. retail outlets to over 2,500 and include various online retail platforms as well. Terms of its deal with Asda weren’t disclosed.

Minneapolis -- Christopher & Banks Corp. said Monday it has named LuAnn Via president and CEO, effective Nov. 26.

Via, also named to the retailer’s board of directors, succeeds Joel Waller, who will remain in a consultative capacity through June 30, 2013.

Since July 2008, Via has served as president and CEO of Payless ShoeSource, a subsidiary of Collective Brands, which recently was acquired.

New York -- Results of the 16th annual Brand Keys Loyalty Leaders survey released Friday revealed that Apple, Amazon, Samsung, YouTube and Twitter have the most loyal followings.

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market said Friday it will acquire six leases from Johnnie's Foodmaster, a family-owned grocery chain based in Chelsea, Mass. The transaction is expected to close Nov. 30.

Johnnie's Foodmaster will close all six locations prior to the closing date, but Whole Foods said it has guaranteed interviews to all Johnnie's Foodmaster employees at the six acquired locations with the goal of hiring as many as possible.

As we continue to witness the battle of brick-and-mortar versus online shopping, it’s interesting to see Walmart’s latest ploy to “one-up” their online competition. Their new Walmart To Go service is offering customers same-day delivery of online orders for just $10. While the initial test period is expected to last only through the holidays, the possibility that this could stick makes me think that Walmart To Go might ultimately have some huge implications for brick-and-mortar retail. The big question, of course, is will it work? Can Walmart pull it off?

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores said Friday it has named Colin McGinnis as SVP store operations support, store development and procurement. He will report to Barry Sullivan, EVP store operations.

McGinnis joined Family Dollar in August of 2004 as a regional VP and, in 2006, he was named VP store operations support and process improvement. Most recently, he added additional responsibility for store services, procurement and store development.

Beijing -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Friday that it plans to open 100 stores in China by 2015, a slowed pace from prior growth rates in the country but still representing ongoing interest in boosting its market share behind the country’s No. 1 player Sun Art Retail Group.