Strategy

Hasbro has elected Richard Stoddart, CEO, North America at Leo Burnett Worldwide, to its board of directors.

Memphis, Tenn. – A mixed-use retail center has reportedly been proposed for downtown Memphis. According to the Memphis Daily News, the 10,500-sq.-ft., two-story building would contain office, restaurant and café space, as well as a potential convenience store.

Everything from portfolio growth to weather posed a challenge to Conn’s, but it was no match as the company’s business model remained resilient in the fourth quarter.

Conn’s reported net income of $27.73 million in the quarter of fiscal 2014, up 57% from $17.66 million in the same quarter the prior fiscal year.

New York -- Wal-Mart Stores is testing a new convenience-store concept called “Walmart To Go,” with the initial location in the chain’s hometown of Bentonville, Ark.

The new store offers convenience store products, prepared foods and gasoline. At approximately 2,500 sq. ft., Walmart To Go is much smaller than the company’s other small-format concept, Walmart Express, which averages about 15,000 sq. ft.

Walmart also has a grocery delivery service with a similar name, WalmartToGo.com, in two markets.

New York -- Toys “R” Us has launched a new strategy to drive future growth that includes a big emphasis on improving its in-store customer experience.

The nation’s largest toy retailer said it will update its existing stores to make them easier to shop, focusing on everything from the restrooms and lighting to the flooring and signage. It also is committed to reducing in-store clutter and improving in-stocks and checkout speed (slow checkouts registered as a big customer complaint in its research.).

Woodbridge, Va. — Potomac Mills, the largest outlet and value retail shopping destination in the Washington, D.C., area has appointed Sam Hosn as its new general manager. Paul Fickinger, executive VP of property management for The Mills, a Simon Company, made the announcement.

As general manager, Hosn will manage the day-to-day operations of Potomac Mills including leasing, contract negotiations, staff supervision, office management, budgeting, tenant relations and marketing.

Atlanta -- Crowd-sourced delivery company Kanga has launched a new iPhone and Android app that will place on-demand delivery options in the hands of local customers. The first market to pilot the on-demand shipping solution is Kanga’s home base of Atlanta.

The solution, which leverages crowd-sourced labor, is designed to connect customers and retailers with local delivery drivers.

Modell's Sporting Goods is replacing its paper-driven employee-selection process with Infor PeopleAnswers Talent Science — a tool designed to improve that process as well as development and succession planning for its chain of more than 150 stores throughout the Northeast.

According to Infor, Infor PeopleAnswers Talent Science is available via the cloud and uses science, technology and analytics to predictively link behavioral data to real business outcomes, helping companies improve business performance, reduce turnover and optimize the HR process.