Strategy

New Delhi -- According to a Thursday report by Reuters, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is examining the conditions around India’s decision to allow supermarkets to open stores in the country.

BrandMasters is the name of a new experiential marketing agency created by Crossmark, one of the companies that executes in store activities at Walmart under the Shopper Events banner.

Albany, Ore. -- Vintage Real Estate announced said Wednesday it has appointed Betsy Penson as general manager of its recently acquired Heritage Mall, located in Albany, Ore.

Most recently Penson was general manager/marketing director for CenterCal Properties’ Blackhawk Plaza in Danville, Calif. Earlier in her career she was the general manager and marketing director for a 400,000-sq.-ft. lifestyle center, The Streets of Tanasourne in Hillsboro, Ore., and the general manager of the Lancaster Mall in Salem, Ore.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Regency Centers said Wednesday it has appointed Joanna Rotonde to lead the company’s acquisitions and dispositions activities in the northeastern U.S.

Rotonde will focus on the expansion markets of Boston, Philadelphia and metro New York, and is charged with identifying, evaluating and structuring profitable property acquisition and disposition opportunities within Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.  

Rotonde previously served as assistant VP for Urstadt Biddle Properties.

Mahwah, N.J. -- Connecticut retailer Pilgrim Furniture City has expanded its relationship with TD Retail Card Services, moving from the company’s Renovate Card program to a branded private label card created specifically for Pilgrim customers.

The Ecco shoe brand has engaged the services of Demandware to power its new U.S. e-commerce and mobile commerce site. The company also plans to use Demandware’s cloud platform to quickly and efficiently expand internationally, beginning with Canada.

Ecco products are sold online and in 4,000 branded locations in more than 90 countries. 

Chicago -- There were 4,442 more restaurants in the U.S. in fall 2012 than there were in fall 2011, according to a recent U.S. restaurant census conducted by The NPD Group.

The total number of U.S. restaurants is now 616,008, a .7% increase over last year, based on NPD’s Fall 2012 ReCount, which is a count of commercial restaurant locations in the United States compiled in the spring and fall each year.

The National Association of Home Builders sees the residential construction industry gaining momentum in a larger economy that includes a few wild cards.

At the International Builders’ Show here in Las Vegas, the Washington, D.C.-based trade association updated its 2013 housing starts forecast to 949,000 starts in 2013, up 21.5% from the prior year. At the end of January, the group had forecast 932,000.