Marketing

Columbia, S.C. -- Edens & Avant announced it has appointed Peter Melmed as VP construction and development. 

Melmed will be based in Bethesda, Md., and will oversee the construction of large-scale development and redevelopments throughout the Edens & Avant portfolio.

Prior to joining Edens & Avant, Melmed was a real estate consultant at PJM Realty.

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. -- SRS Real Estate Partners announced that Greg Roth has returned to the company, serving as senior VP and market leader in South Florida.

A veteran of Staubach Retail Services (now SRS), Roth also served as director of retail investments for Archon Group and, most recently, was managing principal of LDR Realty Partners.

Washington, D.C. -- Combined Properties announced that Jessica Berets has joined the company as Assistant General Counsel. 

Berets will be responsible for drafting, negotiating and consummating a variety of legal documents, including lease agreements with tenants in the commercial retail real estate portfolio managed by Combined Properties, and providing advice and counsel to the company's leasing, construction and property management departments.
 

Los Angeles -- Sony Electronics will unveil its newly branded Sony store on Friday, in Westfield Century City, Los Angeles. The 4,200-sq.-ft. store is designed to allow consumers to explore the complete Sony experience, including electronics, games, movies, music, network services and future technologies.

HANGZHOU, China -- Gap Inc. is expanding its presence in China. The company announced that it has opened an online Gap store (gap.tmall.com) on Taobao Mall, the business-to-consumer platform within Taobao, China’s largest retail website. Gap's Taobao Mall store will offer a wide selection of stylish products from Gap, GapKids and baby gap, the company reported.

PARIS  -- L'Oreal Paris announced that it has named Madame Ines de la Fressange as its latest ambassador.

"Ines de la Fressange, our new L'Oreal Paris spokeswoman, has divine grace, that very contemporary way of being a woman, at once free, unexpected and mesmerizing. An accomplished model, mother and designer, she leads a full life. I am delighted that she is bringing that irresistible 'je ne sais quoi' to the brand," says Cyril Chapuy, global brand president L'Oreal Paris.

Columbus, Ohio -- Limited Brands said Wednesday it has promoted Denise Landman to CEO of its Victoria’s Secret Pink brand.

Landman, who is a 12-veteran of Limited Brands, most recently served as president of Pink.

The brand, which surpassed $1 billion in sales mark last year, has 22 stores nationwide as well as a presence in most Victoria’s Secret stores and online.

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Wednesday by The Conference Board said that online advertised vacancies rose 208,800 in March to 4,454,500.

According to The Conference Board Help Wanted OnLine Data Series, the March rise follows a large January increase and a small change in February, and brings the gain in labor demand in the first quarter of 2011 to over 600,000.

San Francisco -- Gap said Wednesday it has opened an online store on China’s largest retail website.

Gap's Taobao Mall store, gap.tmall.com, will offer items from Gap, GapKids and baby gap.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Applebee’s Services said Wednesday it has chosen customer analytics firm Buxton to assist with the franchise system’s real estate expansion and company asset-management strategies for Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill &Bar restaurants.

Applebee’s, a DineEquity brand, will use Buxton’s Scout platform, to establish future expansion in potential franchise markets and assist in asset management decisions.