Strategy

Dublin, Calif. -- Ross Dress for Less will open two new stores in the Southeast on July 19th.  The store openings are in The Village on Pooler Parkway in Pooler, Georgia, and Dixie Valley Shopping Center in Southwest Louisville, Kentucky.  These new openings are part of the retailer’s 2014 expansion program, totaling approximately 75 new locations during the year.

Together, Ross Dress for Less and dd’s Discounts currently operate over 1,300 off-price apparel and home fashion stores in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.

Supervalu has begun supplying the first of 18 Rainbow stores that are being acquired as part of the transactions that were announced May 7 between Roundy’s and a consortium of Supervalu and independent retailers.

Following the store conversions, Supervalu will supply all 18 of the acquired stores out of its Hopkins, Minn., distribution center.
 

Plano, Texas - Rent-A-Center, Inc. has named Aubyn Thomas as VP marketing. With more than 15 years of leadership experience in brand strategy and customer-relationship management, Thomas recently served as VP consumer marketing at Lowe’s Home Improvement, where she was responsible for delivery of all consumer and professional marketing programs.

Earlier in her career, Thomas held leadership positions with organizations such as Macy’s, Caesars Entertainment, Bank of America and Lenscrafters Retail Group.

Hong Kong - Michael Kors has named Mark Brashear to the newly created role of president of men’s. Brashear was most recently at Hugo Boss, where he held the position of CEO and chairman, Americas. Prior to his five-year tenure at Hugo Boss, Brashear was president of Faconnable from 2001 to 2008 and executive VP, Southwest Unit, at Nordstrom, where he worked from 1993 to 2001.

Sales and marketing services leader Crossmark unveiled a first-of-its-kind collaboration center on July 10 just steps from Walmart’s Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters. The new facility offers the retailer and its trading partners a wide range of joint business planning, shopper insights and store execution capabilities.

Though sales were up 3% and income increased 1% for WD-40 Company in the third quarter, shares for the lubricants and cleaner supplier were down more than 6% Thursday morning after management narrowed the full-year guidance.

Net sales for the quarter came in at $95.7 million, up from $93.1 million in the same quarter last year. This was largely carried by sales of multi-purpose maintenance products; sales of homecare and cleaning products decreased 1%.

New York - Imports to the U.S. were steady in May 2014 from the previous month, though there was a measurable year-over-year increase. Data from supply chain research firm Panjiva shows that May 2014 showed levels of imports 4% above imports in May 2013.

Orlando, Fla. -- Nordstrom announced plans to shutter its store in the Florida Mall Orlando, Florida. Originally opened in 2002, the store will close its doors on August 16, 2014.