Strategy

NEW YORK - OgilvyAction, the activation arm of Ogilvy & Mather, and Malone Advertising, the retail marketing unit of JWT, both part of WPP Group,have announced a joint venture in North America to form the first fully integrated, end-to-end shopper marketing and experiential marketing agency.

Atlanta - U.S. regulators have sued a former sales executive at Carter’s Inc., claiming that he caused the company to misstate earnings by hiding the cost of discounts given to a retailer. 

According to a Monday report by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Joseph Elles induced Kohl’s Corp. to boost purchases from Carter’s from 2004 to March 2009 by granting unauthorized discounts that he didn’t disclose.

Fortune has released its list of the top 10 Fortune 500 stock performers for 2010, and Dillard's is the lone retailer on the list.

Ranked at number 10, Dillard's, which is ranked at 348 on the Fortune 500, posted a year-to-date stock performance improvement of 97% and a market cap of $2.1 billion.

According to the report, Dillard's sold more merchandise this November than last year, with sales totaling almost $470 million for the month. That marked a 7% increase over last year.

ARLINGTON, Va. and WASHINGTON - The National Retail Federation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association both issued statements supporting the final passage of a bipartisan agreement for extending critical individual and business taxes.

Walmart has been a non-player in toys this year, according to Eric Johnson, director of the Center for Digital Strategies at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business. He was quoted in a Bloomberg article this week about how Walmart increased toy prices after Thanksgiving weekend. Johnson is regarded as something of a toy expert, so he pops up in holiday stories and he has been critical of Walmart this year.

MINNEAPOLIS - Best Buy announced that it is introducing health and fitness products at 600 Best Buy stores across the country and online at Bestbuy.com. Available products include personal gear related to running, walking, swimming and yoga as well as other fitness accessories.

Best Buy’s national expansion follows a pilot program launched a year ago, during which the company tested a broad selection of health and fitness gear in 40 stores in select markets.

Of all the competitive threats facing Walmart, none looms larger in the minds of the retailer’s suppliers than the ongoing expansion and financial success of leading operators in the dollar store segment. That’s according to Walmart suppliers who participated in a survey conducted by Connecting Northwest Arkansas and identified such chains as Dollar General and Family Dollar as the greatest competitive threat to Walmart during the next five years.

SADDLE BROOK, N.J. - Rug manufacturer Nourison has named Sabrina Roberts has been director of national accounts. Roberts will be responsible for the opening and development of key national accounts at Nourison, as well as assist in expanding business with existing national retail accounts. 

Roberts was most recently with JCPenney, where she helped grow the company's home division online and served as senior buyer for its area and accent rug division.