Marketing

The J. M. Smucker Company has elevated John Denman to VP of human resource operations, effective July 16, and has also elevated Jill Penrose to VP of human resources, effective July 1.

Denman currently serves as VP, controller and chief accounting officer, and has been with the company for more than 30 years in various leadership positions in accounting and finance.

CashStar, a digital gifting company, has named John Caron as chief marketing officer to lead all strategic corporate and product marketing efforts in support of the company’s aggressive growth plans.

SGK, formerly marketed as Schawk, a leading global brand development, activation and deployment company that drives brand performance, has appointed Andrew Flynn as SVP of brand strategy.

In this new role, Flynn will focus on identifying and developing strategic brand solutions for clients to help drive brand performance by leveraging the services offered by Brandimage and Anthem, part of SGK's brand development group, and Schawk, the company's brand deployment business.

Shopko has tapped veteran pharmacy executive Michael Cantrell as the company’s new SVP of retail health. Cantrell will report to CEO Peter McMahon.
 
A registered pharmacist and licensed attorney, Cantrell is joining Shopko from Delhaize America, where he was VP of pharmacy. Prior to Delhaize America, he held various executive positions at AmerisourceBergen and Longs Drugs.

Ascena Retail Group president and CEO David Jaffe said sales in the third quarter were challenging, and despite comparable sales declines at Justice and Dressbarn, new store growth at Justice and Maurices, along with higher comparable sales at Lane Bryant, Maurices and Catherines bolstered the company’s overall results.

The company’s third-quarter profit rose to $33.2 million, from $31.2 million in the year ago period. Revenue inched up 0.3% to $1.145 billion, compared to $1.142 billion a year earlier. Total same store sales rose 1%.

Hershey's Chocolate World has opened a retail location at New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
 
The West Coast flagship store, which occupies two floors and boasts a 74-ft. high by 24-ft. wide Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar façade sign that visitors can walk through, immerses consumers in more than 800 candy and chocolate offerings, including Hershey’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s, Ice Breakers, Jolly Ranchers and Twizzlers brands.
 

Five Below plans to open eight locations in and around Houston Friday, June 6, marking the specialty value retailer’s first foray into that city. The company already has 15 stores in the Dallas and Austin markets.

The store openings are part of the company’s aggressive growth strategy. Last year, the Philadelphia-based retailer opened 60 new stores, and it plans to match that number this year. With the Houston openings, there will be 338 Five Below stores in 20 states throughout the country.

Seattle -- In collaboration with Disney, Starbucks Corp. has opened its first company-operated store at Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida, a nearly 4,000-sq.-ft. location at Downtown Disney West Side. This past March, Disney opened its first company-operated café at Downtown Disney, Anaheim, California. 

Dallas -- Tuesday Morning Corporation announced that Susan H. Davidson has joined the company as senior VP marketing. She succeeds Ross Manning in this capacity, who has left and is pursuing other professional opportunities.
 

New York -- Global brand agency CBX will help Friendly Express update the design and branding of its 42-store network of community-focused convenience stores in southeast Georgia.

Under the assignment, the firm will update the chain’s logo and redesign the interiors and exteriors of its convenience stores, which range in size from 2,000 sq. ft. to 3,500 sq. ft. Friendly Express stores, which also offer gasoline, are located in several different southeast Georgia communities, including Waycross, Jesup, Folkston, Brunswick, and St. Simons Island.