Marketing

Evine Live, the digital commerce company formerly known as ShopHQ, named Penny Burnett senior vice president and chief merchandising officer.

In her new role, Burnett will report to Mark Bozek, CEO of Evine live, a digital commerce company that offers customers multiple ways to shop and interact via television, online and on mobile devices in merchandise categories such as home, beauty, health and fitness, fashion and accessories, jewelry and watches and consumer electronics.

The nature of competition in the retail industry is not what it used to be. Decades of consolidation concentrated sales among a top tier of mega-retailers fueled deal-making among product manufacturers and others who serve the retail industry.

The top 10 U.S. retailers now account for more than $1,200,000,000,000 (zeroes added for effect) and that figure swells to $1.5 trillion if the next 10 largest are include. The big have gotten bigger and will continue to do so in the near term, however there is also a dramatic “re-fragmentation” of the retail industry underway.

Livonia, Mich. -- Pet Supplies Plus, the nation’s largest pet retail franchise with more than 300 locations in 25 states, announced it has signed six new franchise agreements to bring its neighborhood pet store concept to Boca Raton, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Stephenville, Texas; Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Hartland, Michigan and Greenville, South Carolina.
 

New York -- Toms and Whole Foods Market grabbed the top spots in a survey of the most socially responsible companies by marketing consultancy Good Must Grow. Rounding out the top five: Microsoft, Starbucks and the Red Cross.

The survey asked consumers to name one company or organization that is socially responsible. Seventy-nine percent of the respondents said they were familiar with the term “socially responsible,” and of those, 77% said it was an important factor in their shopping behaviors.

Minneapolis – Best Buy president and CEO Hubert Joly now has something in common with Frank Sinatra — you can call him “Chairman of the Board.” Joly will succeed current chairman Hatim Tyabji, who is retiring from the board effective June 9, 2015, as board chairman.

Russell P. Fradin, president and CEO of SunGard and a Best Buy Board member since April 2013, will serve as lead independent director. Tyajbi, CEO of mobile data/video company Bytemobile Inc., has served on the Best Buy board since 2008 and as chairman since 2012.

San Jose, Calif. - EBay Inc. has appointed three new executives who will fill key positions on CEO-designee Devin Wenig’s leadership team. The company makes these appointments as it prepares for the separation of eBay and PayPal into independent, publicly traded companies in the second half of 2015.

City of Industry, Calif. – 99 Cents Only Stores Inc. plans to open nine new stores in Arizona, California and Texas between April 16 and April 18. On April 16, 99 Cents Only will open new stores in Canoga Park, Glendora and Vallejo, California.

On April 17, 99 Cents Only will open new stores in Chico and Escondido, California and Houston. On Saturday, April 18, 99 Cents Only will open new stores in Mesa, Arizona and Sylmar and Tustin, California.

Oak Brook, Ill. - Ace Hardware has launched the Ace Center for Excellence, a new division designed to share the retailer’s strategies and key principles of customer service.

The center’s goal is to help companies improve upon their customer experience based on Ace’s approach through customized solutions, such as keynotes and workshops.

Pittsburgh – As part of a wide-ranging fiscal update, Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. is updating its fiscal 2017 sales target to $8.7 billion to $9 billion. The retailer also expects to open 135-150 namesake stores during the next three years, up from the 603 stores it operated at the end of 2014, focusing on new and underserved markets.  

Dallas -- The Woodmont Co. represented Firehouse Subs in the food chain’s continued expansion in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The fast-casual restaurant chain retained Woodmont to identify four strategic locations which have now been secured. The spaces range in size from 1,800 sq. ft. to 2,025 sq. ft., and the first of the four new restaurants opened in late January 2015, with the remainder opening as early as April 2015.

Grant Gary and Joseph Williams of The Woodmont Co. represented Firehouse Subs in all four transactions.