Marketing

Walgreens Boots Alliance has appointed Marco Pagni, formerly group legal counsel and chief administrative officer of Alliance Boots, as EVP and global chief legal and administrative officer, effective immediately.

Citing the cost and complexity associated the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, National Retail Federation affirmed its opposition to the health care law in a sharply worded letter to top elected officials.

Luxury beauty retailer Bluemercury was acquired by Macy’s and the retailer announced another round of extensive personnel changes, including a new head merchant, that are designed to bolster its omnichannel, international and alternative format growth prospects.

Macy’s said it signed an agreement to acquire the 60 store specialty retailer Bluemercury for $210 million and would continue to operate the company as a standalone business while infusing existing Macy’s stores with the specialty retailer’s high end brands.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- In 2014, The Sembler Co. said it saw increased activity across business segments, from more than 700,000 sq. ft. of new and renewed leases, to expanding the company’s geographical reach.

Moorseville, N.C. - Lowe's Companies Inc. has appointed James H. Morgan, 67, to the company's board, effective immediately. Today's announcement brings Lowe's board of directors to 12 members, 11 of whom are independent.

Seattle – Amazon.com is reportedly piloting co-branded e-commerce sites with three universities. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon is partnering with Purdue University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the University of California Davis to operate the sites, which sell textbooks and T-shirts as well as other items available on Amazon.com.

Framingham, Mass. – The TJX Companies Inc. has named William H. Swanson to the board of directors. Swanson, 65, is the former chairman and CEO of Raytheon Co., a technology and innovation company specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world.

By Owen Shapiro

As every marketer knows, the era of Big Data is here, and with it comes a huge smorgasbord of opportunities to connect with customers in amazing new ways. For marketers and brand managers, the prospect of knowing more about customers’ lives, habits, and desires than ever before is understandably exciting.

While you are preparing to take maximum advantage of all the glorious opportunities Big Data offers, keep in mind that the devil in Big Data could be in these overlooked details:
 

Minneapolis — Target Corp. is opening 15 stores this year, with an emphasis on its smaller-sized TargetExpress format as it looks to further reach guests in urban centers. The discounter will open eight TargetExpress locations, one CityTarget and six general merchandise stores.

Target stated that its strategic store growth is focused on reaching guests in urban centers with new formats like TargetExpress and CityTarget, while also offering new experiences, merchandising layouts and innovations in its general merchandise stores.

Dodgeville, Wis. - Lands’ End Inc. has named fashion executive Federica Marchionni as CEO. Marchionni comes to Lands’ End from her role as president of Dolce&Gabbana USA Inc. She will succeed Edgar Huber, who is resigning from the company.

Marchionni has served as president at Lands’ End since 2011, overseeing the opening of several key stores, including the Fifth Avenue flagship store in New York City as well as stores in other markets including Toronto, Chicago, Aspen and Boston.