Marketing

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe's Companies Inc. has named 3M, Stainmaster and Truper as the company's 2014 Vendor Partners of the Year. The companies were selected for their commitment to product quality, innovation and customer service.   

The Bill Blass brand is in for a breath of fresh air with the arrival of celebrated designer Chris Benz as new creative director.

Reporting directly to Stuart Goldblatt,  Bill Blass’ newly appointed president and CEO,  Benz will be responsible for the overall creative direction of the company.

Benz brings to Bill Blass years of experience in the fashion industry, including designing for Mark Jacobs and J.Crew, as well as his own collection CHRIS BENZ, launched in 2007.

Burlington has partnered with K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers and ABC’s Good Morning America for its eighth annual Warm Coat Warm Hearts coat drive, themed around “Families Helping Families.” 

The coat drive, which kicks off on Saturday, November 1, 2014, will benefit K.I.D.S./Fashion Delivers, a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing apparel and other products donated by manufacturers and retailers to community charities across the U.S. and throughout the world. 

Specialty retailer Tile Shop announced a senior leadership transition involving long time CEO Robert Rucker and current COO Chris Homeister.

The company said Homeister, a former Best Buy merchant who joined Minneapolis-based Tile Shop a year ago, would be elevated to the role of CEO effective Jan. 1. He replaces current CEO Robert Rucker who founded the company 29 years ago. Rucker will remain with the company on a full time basis until Aug. 1, 2015 as an advisor and board member.

Veteran Walmart store planner Jay Mitchael is a featured speaker at an upcoming event organized by Doing Business in Bentonville.

Mitchael, vp of store layout and space productivity at Walmart, is scheduled to speak Thursday, Nov. 13 at the Doing Business in Bentonville event which runs from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. in Rogers, Ark. Among the topics the organization said he will address are changes in store design, current prototype rollout and something called the space capture project.

Bridgestone Americas announced that TJ Higgins has been named president of the consumer U.S. and Canada divisions for the company's tire operations, effective Nov. 3. Higgins succeeds Gordon Knapp, who became COO of Bridgestone Americas in March. 

Higgins brings more than 20 years of consumer products marketing and strategic business experience to Bridgestone. He most recently served as the North America regional president for Pfizer Consumer Healthcare and also held leadership roles at Merck and Vlasic throughout his career. 

Milan, Italy –- Specialty eyewear retailer Luxottica Group S.P.A. reported increases in profit and revenue during the third quarter of fiscal 2014. Net income grew 10% to $259.2 million from $236.8 million in the third quarter of the prior fiscal year, while net sales rose 5% to $3.01 billion from $2.85 billion.  

By Tracy Sloger, DataSource   The role of “marketer” is not as simple as it used to be. Outbound and inbound methods are constantly evolving as traditional marketing efforts become more complex, and newer digital tactics are implemented and maintained at breathtaking speeds. Omnichannel marketing, while still a buzzword for some, is becoming more real for many.   

IKEA has appointed Stefan Sjöstrand president of its Canadian organization after he has previously served as SVP, IKEA France.

With this move Sjöstrand is bringing global insights gathered from many years of working with IKEA to the Canadian market, as well as a proven track record of achieving business success through people development, according to the company. 

GameStop has joined forces with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for another season of giving.  For the second year, GameStop will participate in the annual St.