Marketing

Washington, D.C. -- The Merchants Payments Coalition applauded U.S. District Judge Nicolas Garaufis’ ruling on Thursday that American Express credit card rules constitute an unlawful restraint on trade.

The judge found that the credit card giant violated U.S. antitrust laws by barring merchants from encouraging customers to use one credit card over another. In a 150-page opinion, he wrote that such a practice constitutes “an unlawful restraint on trade.”

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation credited the “power of the marketplace” in Walmart’s decision to increase wages of approximately 500,000 full-time and part-time associates in April to $9 an hour, which is well above the Federal minimum wage.

New York - Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. has appointed apparel industry veteran Marc Schneider as CEO, effective Feb. 23. Schneider will assume responsibility for the company's retail, outlet, e-commerce, international, licensing and wholesale businesses. He takes over from founder Kenneth Cole, who has served as interim CEO since February 2011.

San Francisco – The mobile payment market continues to heat up. On the heels of Samsung’s news that it will acquire mobile payment firm LoopPay, Visa Inc. announced it is expanding its online payment service, Visa Checkout. The financial services giant said the digital checkout service, which launched in three markets in summer 2014, will be available in a total of 16 markets by the end of 2015.

New York -- The Kmart store in Chillicothe, Ohio, has scaled back its hours and grocery offerings in preparation for its switch from a 24-hour supercenter to the retail chain's new K-Fresh concept, according to a report by the Chillicothe Gazette.

The newspaper reports that the K-Fresh concept has been piloted at two stores, one in suburban Chicago and another in Hawaii.

New York – Foot Locker Inc. is investing in the future. The company’s board of directors has approved a $220 million capital expenditure program for 2015, maintaining the level of investment in the business that Foot Locker initiated in 2013.

In recent years, the Foot Locker has invested in a variety of strategic growth initiatives, including new store formats, continued expansion of its European banners, capabilities in its direct-to-customer segment, and various technology initiatives.  

Columbus, Ohio -- Vineyard Vines, a retailer of preppy inspired clothing and accessories, has opened a 3,000-sq.-ft. store in Easton Town Center. The store is the brand’s third Midwest location after Chicago and St. Louis, and is part of a plan to open 10 more stores in major U.S. markets by the end of 2015.

St. Paul, Minn. -- Paster Properties announced that John Kohler has joined the team as director of development, and Jason LaPlant has joined as accounting manager.

As director of development, Kohler is responsible for driving the firm’s new development efforts, as well as managing ongoing projects within Paster’s Twin Cities portfolio. In his role as accounting manager, LaPlant oversees the company’s day-to-day accounting activities, monthly financial reporting and lease administration.

Beachwood, Ohio -- DDR Corp announced that David J. Oakes has been named the company’s new CEO, effectively immediately. Oakes has been DDR’s president and CFO since January 2013, and was senior executive VP and CFO for the three years prior. He succeeds Daniel Hurwitz, who stepped down December 31 by mutual agreement.

"After a thorough and robust search process, the board is confident that David is the right person to lead DDR into the future," said chairman Terry Ahern.

Kohl’s is standing behind its stated mission to “give back” to the communities it serves by announcing that it donated nearly $18 million in 2014.

The community grants benefited more than 8,500 nonprofits across the country in 2014 through Kohl’s best-in-class Associates in Action (AiA) volunteer program.