Marketing

Ulta Beauty is expanding its popular Ultamate Rewards loyalty program.   The retailer is partnering with  Alliance Data Systems Corp. Alliance will develop and manage the Ultamate Rewards Credit Card, which is designed to enhance the benefits of the chain’s loyalty program.   Alliance will provide private-label and co-branded credit card services for Ulta, the largest beauty retailer in the United States, operating 886 stores nationwide.  

Phillips Edison & Company announced the appointment of Beth Farrell Donnelly as VP and assistant general counsel. She will work with senior VP and General Counsel Tanya Brady to provide legal advice on all aspects of the company’s business.  

The Mid-America Real Estate Group announced the hiring of Ashlee Yenney as its corporate marketing director. She will be responsible for marketing and public relations efforts across company offices in Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois.  

Home furnishings retailer West Elm will open a new store in downtown Reno, Nevada, on Aug. 11.    The 11,000-sq.-ft. store is located on the main floor of the former U.S. Post Office building, which has been transformed into The Basement marketplace, an underground venue with a mission to create a multi-use incubator space of both retail and food vendors celebrating handicraft.   

Stroll by the new Combatant Gentlemen store in Santa Monica, California, and you might think it’s an outfitter of Bondian self-defense gear for bespoke men in turbulent times. In fact, it’s a ready-to-wear suit store for young corporate commandos hoping to pass muster in boardrooms on meager salaries. (Suits range from $165 to around $320.) It’s also the first permanent brick-and-mortar outpost of the vertically-integrated, fast-growing online menswear brand, which was founded in 2012.   

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has named Even Armstrong as VP of government affairs, effective Aug. 1.     Armstrong will lead advocacy efforts related to workforce and employment issues before Congress and federal agencies, including the Department of Labor (DOL), the EEOC and NLRB.     

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has named Even Armstrong as VP of government affairs, effective Aug. 1.     Armstrong will lead advocacy efforts related to workforce and employment issues before Congress and federal agencies, including the Department of Labor (DOL), the EEOC and NLRB.     

Nordstrom is doubling down on its partnership with J.Crew Group’s Madewell brand.   The department store chain plans to expand the brand to an additional 20 stores this fall.  It’s the third distribution expansion since the initial launch of the partnership in March 2015, and will result in the retailer carrying Madewell goods in a total of 76 locations in the U.S. and Canada, as well as on Nordstrom.com.     

Sears Canada is losing another top executive who has been on the job for less than a year.   The retailer announced that Carrie Kirkman is leaving her role as president and chief merchant to transition to an “advisory role.” In a statement, the company said Kirkman had been “brought aboard to focus on strategic brand partner development,” and that new brands will debut this fall. Kirkman will reportedly leave her post after July 30.  

Supervalu Inc. on Wednesday lower-than-expected profit for the first quarter amid ongoing efforts to spin off its Save-A-Lot division.   The supermarket operator reported a profit a profit of $46 million for the quarter, down from $61 million, in the year-ago period. Adjusted for charges related to the potential separation of Save-A-Lot and other factors, earnings declined to $53 million from $65 million last year.   Supervalu’s net revenue fell 3.9% to $5.20 billion.