Events

More than 500 suppliers and service companies were on hand recently to hear what Walmart chief marketing officer Stephen Quinn had to say at an event organized by the Bentonville Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce.

WASHINGTON — Goodwill returns to the Pepco Edison Place Gallery with its Goodwill of Greater Washington pop-up retail shop. Pepco donated space so the stores can temporarily open its doors for the holiday with the theme Peace & Goodwill.

LA CANADA, Calif. — Santa Claus is coming to Sport Chalet, a sporting goods retailer, to take photos with everyone, young and old, under water.

No experience is necessary for fans to pose with Santa, who will be at the store from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, December 15. Sport Chalet dive experts will be on hand to assist Santa fans, who must be at least 10 years old to dive. Younger children need not despair, however, as they will be able to snorkel alongside St. Nick for their photo.

New York -- Chain Store Age will hold a webinar on Thursday, Dec. 13, 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT) that will examine email marketing trends for Black Friday 2012 and how marketers used email to promote store shopping and events during the holiday weekend.

The webinar, sponsored by Bronto, will also cover such topics as promotional trends and the influence of mobile and social. Find out what you will need to do early in next year’s holiday season to ensure success.

Nashville – Retail's top industry analysts will join forces with C-level retail executives and technology vendors at the Retail Orphan Initiative's SuperSaturday event in New York on Jan. 12, one day before the opening of the National Retail Federation’s annual convention. Admission to retailers is free, and all proceeds from the vendor sponsorships go to help the Retail Orphan Initiative, Retailroi.org.

More than 500 people are expected to attend the Northwest Arkansas Retail Link User Group’s annual holiday luncheon featuring key Walmart executives as guest speakers.

"The Future of Retail Link," is the title of a presentation to be given by Chris Lamb, a project manager with Walmart’s massive Information Systems Division. Matt Kistler, SVP of merchandise execution with Walmart U.S. also is scheduled to speak.

NEW YORK — Last minute holiday shoppers will have some help from Macy’s this year, as the retailer plans keep most of its stores open 48 hours straight the weekend before Christmas, from 7 a.m. Friday, December 21 through 7 a.m. Sunday, December 23.

The 48-hour shopping marathon coincides with Macy’s final scheduled One-Day Sale of the year, which concludes at 7 a.m. Sunday, December 23. While the sale ends Sunday morning, 57 stores will remain open 24 hours or offer extended late hours until close on Christmas Eve.

New York — Last-minute holiday shoppers will have some help from Macy’s this year, as the retailer plans keep most of its stores open 48 hours straight the weekend before Christmas, from 7 a.m. Dec. 21 through 7 a.m. on Dec. 23.

The 48-hour shopping marathon coincides with Macy’s final scheduled One-Day Sale of the year, which concludes at 7 a.m., Dec. 23. While the sale ends Sunday morning, 57 stores will remain open 24 hours or offer extended late hours until close on Christmas Eve.

Washington, DC — Merchants at CVS, Smart & Final and Meijer have been named recipients of the 2013 Confectionery Leadership Awards by the National Confectioners Association.

Kelly Semrau, SVP of global corporate affairs, communication and sustainability at SC Johnson, is the newest board member at the American Cleaning Institute (ACI).

The group, previously known as the Soap and Detergent Association, confirmed her appointment at a recent meeting where Amway’s Catherine Ehrenberger and Sasol’s Tom O’Brien were also appointed to new posts.

Ehrenberger, vp of research and development, quality and regulatory at Amway, was named board chair and O’Brien, group vp and general manager as Sasol, was named vice chair.