Strategy

Farmingdale, N.Y. -- Ferrandino & Son, Inc. has been named one of the largest landscape companies in North America by Lawn & Landscape magazine.
 
Ferrandino & Son, Inc. ranked within the top 10 on the 2015 Lawn & Landscape Top 100 list, which was published in May.
 
“Ranking in the top 10% of the largest landscaping companies in North America is a major accomplishment for us,” said Kevin Smith, COO, Ferrandino & Son,
 

Madrid – Spain-based European department store chain El Corte Inglés will launch a mobile shopping platform for its Portuguese market powered by Grability technology. Since launching Grability in December 2014 for the Spanish retail market, El Cortes Inglés says it has experienced a surge in mobile grocery sales, as well as customer enthusiasm for the new platform.

According to El Corte Inglés executives, Grability has also helped position the company as the most innovative online grocer in the countries it operates.

New York - Borderfree, provider of international cross-border e-commerce solutions, has expanded its platform to reach more than 220 countries and territories. This expansion of scope includes an additional 120 countries and 15 currencies.

Key emerging luxury markets Borderfree will now sell to include Nigeria and Kazakhstan. Both markets offer opportunities for e-commerce expansion due to increasing smartphone saturation and discretionary spending.

The additional countries will be available to Borderfree customers starting this June.

Membership buying club DirectBuy Inc. takes an unusual approach to retailing. It offers paid members the chance to directly purchase goods from manufacturers and wholesalers, without paying retail markup

So perhaps it is to be expected that 50-plus-store DirectBuy, which also offers online and in-home shopping options to its 250,000-plus members, approaches business intelligence (BI) a little differently, as well.

New York -- One of the world’s largest retailers has undertaken a search is underway for a new CEO to execute a massive transformation. But getting to the interview will require U.S. executives to take a very long flight and the successful applicant will need good listening skills to decipher the accent of co-workers.

Dallas - Justin Lambeth has been appointed as chief marketing officer of Corner Bakery Café.

Lambeth joins Corner Bakery Cafe following several leadership roles at PepsiCo Inc., where he was responsible for marketing, consumer engagement and shopper marketing for the company's Quaker Division as chief marketing officer.

Prior to his work with the Quaker division, Lambeth held the role of VP at Frito-Lay, as well as leadership roles at H.J. Heinz and Nabisco Inc.
 

Brooklyn, N.Y. - Home furnishings retailer West Elm has named Johanna Uurasjarvi as senior VP of design, responsible for guiding the overall creative direction of the West Elm brand across its retail, catalog and online channels. She will lead the product design team and report to West Elm president Jim Brett.

Albany, N.Y. - Scott Hoffman has been named chief merchandising officer of Trans World Entertainment Corp., owner of the FYE music/video/video game chain. In his new role, Hoffman will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of merchandising strategy.

San Francisco - Petco is launching a new on-demand delivery service called PetcoNow, in partnership with Instacart. PetcoNow gives pet owners the ability order from  selection of approximately 13,000 Petco products, delivered directly to their door in as little as one hour.

New York - Fashion retailer Rent the Runway has hired industry veteran Chris Halkyard as the company's first chief logistics officer, effective Aug. 1. In his role, Halkyard will oversee Rent the Runway's logistics platform, including the company's proprietary reverse-logistics operations and transportation network.