Marketing

2014 marked progress in new development, particularly on the outlet front

After nearly a decade of stalled growth in the shopping center industry, 2014 finally saw progress being made on the new development front. While it’s true that much of the ground-up construction was of the outlet center ilk, the value sector wasn’t the only new-build push.

Dallas -- Neiman Marcus announced that Michael R. Kingston would be joining the company, April 23, as senior VP, CIO of The Neiman Marcus Group. Kingston succeeds Phillip Maxwell, who earlier this month announced his retirement.

Kingston joins Neiman Marcus Group from Ann Inc., parent company of Ann Taylor, where he was the executive VP enterprise transformation and technology.
 

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores announced that its board of directors has nominated Marissa A. Mayer of Google Inc., for election as a new member of the company’s board at Walmart’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on June 1, 2012. If elected, Mayer would become the sixteenth member of the board.

JAKKS Pacific Inc., appointed Carmine Russo president of its international division with responsibility for growing international sales and overseeing marketing, advertising, promotions and distribution operations across all product divisions.
 

By Elizabeth Cogswell Baskin

Editor’s note: Launched in March 2010, Pinterest now ranks as the third most-visited social-networking site in the United States, according to a recent report by Experian Marketing Services. Pinterest, which lets its users “pin” photos and information onto virtual boards, ranks behind only Facebook and Twitter in terms of total visitors, according to the report. It also skews heavily female — about 60% of users are women.

Relocating a business and a family from Memphis, Tenn., to St. Petersburg, Fla., is a short distance in miles, but for The Sembler Co., which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, the journey has been much longer.

“We have developed 350 projects, including 125 or 130 shopping centers,” said Mel Sembler, recently named chairman emeritus. “It’s been an interesting career.”

Palo Alto, Calif. -- Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services said it has named Kirk L. Trammell senior director of the firm’s National Retail Group in Palo Alto.

Trammell joined Marcus & Millichap in June 1989. During his career, he has closed more than $1 billion in commercial property transactions, according to the company.

By Seth Sarelson, [email protected]

In 2009, Terry Lundgren, the CEO of Macy's, gave the keynote address at Shop.org, discussing how “the power of e-commerce extends far beyond the keyboard and right onto the sales floor.” Lundgren went on to say that Macy’s believes that $5 billion of in-store sales is influenced by the Internet.