Marketing

Mars has named Debra A. Sandler as its chief health and wellbeing officer and elevated Tracey Massey to the role Sandler previously held as the acting president of Mars Chocolate, North America.

The creation of the chief health and wellbeing officer role is a reflection of the strategic priority that the company is placing on issues such as global food security, safety and quality, as well as on improving the nutritional value of its portfolio.

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in June 2013 versus June 2014 and noted trends occurring across top retail chains. Both Walmart and Toys “R” Us experienced some extreme shifts versus last year. Toys “R” Us did not run any circulars during the month of June, down from two last year. Instead, it ran only web and email promotions. The inverse occurred in January, when it ran no print ads in 2013 and only a single short circular in 2014.

Katy, Texas - Academy Sports + Outdoors announced a third planned Louisville-area store, in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, scheduled to open in 2015. Academy previously announced stores opening in Louisville and Middletown, which will both open prior to the 2014 holiday season.

All three locations were developed in partnership with GBT Realty Corporation. Academy Sports + Outdoors also announced new multi-year partnerships with both the University of Louisville Cardinals and also the University of Kentucky Wildcats.

Coppel, Texas -- The Container Store on Tuesday posted a 0.8% decline in same-store sales in the first quarter, its first decline in the metric in 16 quarters.

“We thought our sluggish sales were all because of weather and calendar shifts that began last November and continued into the spring, but now we’ve come to realize it’s more than weather and calendar. Consistent with so many of our fellow retailers, we are experiencing a retail ‘funk,’” said Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO.

New York - Stuart Weitzman Holdings LLC has named Monica Schwartz as chief global digital and e-commerce officer. In this newly created position, Schwartz will oversee all aspects of global e-commerce and digital strategies for the stuartweitzman.com platforms in the United States, Canada, Europe and Hong Kong, as well as the soon-to-be-launched e-commerce site in China.

Canton, Mass. - Dunkin' Donuts has signed a multi-unit store development agreement with new franchisees Wendover Donuts LLC to develop five restaurants in North and South Greensboro, North Carolina. The locations will incorporate traditional and combination unit development with sister brand, Baskin-Robbins, with the first store planned to open in 2015.

There have been more than a few headline-grabbing leadership transitions in the retail world recently. And, to be honest, “transitions” might be too gentle of a euphemism: some big names from some big-name brands have left, been fired, forced out, voted off the board, or otherwise pressured to step down in the last few months.

Atlanta – Havertys sales for second quarter 2014 increased 2.4% to $175.1 million, compared with $171.1 million for the second quarter of 2013. On a same-store basis, sales for the quarter increased 3.2%.

Havertys closed its Plano, Texas, store in May. In the third quarter, the company will open a new store in Fort Worth, Texas, and relocate its Fayetteville, North Carolina, showroom.

New York -- ImagineX Group, Asia’s leading retail, brand management and distribution company, and Authentic Brands Group, LLC, the new owner of Juicy Couture, today announced a long-term franchise partnership to drive Juicy’s market expansion and category development in China. The partnership will provide the momentum to add more Juicy Couture stores throughout Asia; expand the brand’s reach with new product lines; and support further regional growth initiatives.
 

St. Petersburg, Fla. – HSN Inc. (HSNi) is promoting chief marketing officer Bill Brand to president of HSN, effective immediately. Brand will retain his role as chief marketing officer of HSNi and will continue to report directly to HSNi CEO Mindy Grossman.

Brand is also an executive officer of the company. As president, he will assume responsibility of merchandising, programming, planning and HSN2 in addition to his current responsibilities.