Marketing

Faced with dwindling expansion opportunities for traditional department stores, Macy is looking to significantly grow standalone beauty stores following its recently completed acquisition of the 60 unit specialty beauty retailer Bluemercury.

The decade-old team effort between Lowe's and Habitat for Humanity was on display again this month in Las Vegas, but this time, a six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion joined the team as well.

Jimmie Johnson worked together with Lowe’s employee volunteers and other volunteers from Habitat for Humanity Las Vegas to raise the walls of a new home at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the Kobalt 400 race weekend.

Deliv, the crowdsourced, same-day delivery service used by many omnichannel retailers, has hired an ex-executive at eBay to be its new product chief.

Kenneth Pate, former VP of product management at eBay, will bring a decade of experience in omnichannel execution to the startup. The company says Pate will be responsible for the Deliv experience across the same-day delivery service value chain, which includes retailers, shoppers, drivers and mall operators.

Los Angeles -- Ron Johnson is sweet on teen fave Nasty Gal. The online edgy- fashion retailer recently closed $16 million in funding to support its growth. The round was led by former Apple retail chief and Penney CEO Ron Johnson, who also joined the company’s board.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc., Petco Animal Supplies, Levi Strauss are the only U.S. retail brands to be recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as a 2015 World’s Most Ethical Company.

The annual designation, which recognizes organizations that foster a culture of ethics and transparency at every level of the organization was given to 132 companies. The only other retail brands on this year’s list are Sweden’s H&M and the United Kingdom’s Marks and Spencer.

Atlanta – UPS wants to take on your problems. The company has unveiled a new positioning message, United Problem Solvers, which communicates the company’s capabilities to solve problems for all customers.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General isn’t letting its failed bid for rival Family Dollar slow its momentum. On Saturday, Dollar General announced it is entering three new states: Oregon, Maine and Rhode Island. The expansion will give it stores in a total of 43 states nationwide.

Dollar General already operates more than 11,700 stores, but entry into the three new states gives it more greenfield expansion opportunities to pursue while Dollar Tree is busy integrating the recently acquired Family Dollar chain.

Salisbury, N.C. – Food Lion will remodel its Raleigh, North Carolina market stores in 2015. The Raleigh market remodels are expected to be completed in stores on a rolling basis between April and October 2015.

Food Lion will continue to launch enhancements for customers across all of its 1,100 stores in 2015, as well as remodels in markets over time. Raleigh is the third market to receive the store remodels. Seventy-six stores in the greater Wilmington and Greenville, North Carolina markets were remodeled in 2014.

Jackson, Miss. – Newk’s Eatery is entering the San Antonio, Texas area as part of a broader expansion plan that includes 30 new franchise and corporate stores in 2015. The fast-casual dining chain has signed a franchise agreement with Stephen Kuehler, who will lead the chain's expansion into the San Antonio area.

Aliso Viejo, Calif. - Johnny Rockets has named Charles Bruce as the company's new president and CEO. Bruce brings to Johnny Rockets more than 35 years of experience in marketing and leadership positions, most recently as president and CEO of Peter Piper Pizza,

Earlier in his career, Bruce held marketing and brand strategy positions with the International Pizza Hut Franchise Holders Association as VP of marketing, and at Wendy's as VP of international marketing.