Events

Highland Park, Ill. -- Landmark Theatres will re-open its remodeled five-screen Renaissance Place Cinema in mid-July.

The extensive renovation added a full-service bar and lounge, new seating and sound systems that include hearing loop technology, which wirelessly transmits sound from films to hearing aids with telecoils.

Hollywood, Fla. -- A.R.E. (Association for Retail Environments) has appointed Todd Dittman executive director, succeeding Klein Merriman, who will retire in August. In this role, Dittman, a marketing and finance executive with more than 20 years of experience, will lead A.R.E. and manage Pave, the industry educational foundation, and the Retail Design Institute, working with each organization’s volunteer officers and boards of directors. The appointment is effective Aug. 1.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Grocery Manufacturers Association has appointed Jim Flannery as the company’s senior EVP, operations and industry affairs.

“I am pleased that Jim Flannery is joining the GMA team,” said Pamela G. Bailey, GMA president and CEO. “Given his life-long experience and success in the consumer packaged goods industry, and his in-depth knowledge of so many of the important issues GMA manages on behalf of its members, no one is better positioned than him to advance GMA’s member-driven agenda.”

Boston -- A report by the Boston Globe revealed that the fate of Market Basket CEO Arthur T. Demoulas lies in the hands of the grocery chain’s board of directors, as members are posted to fire Demoulas at a meeting of the board next week.

A longtime family feud has split the board in two, and both sides of the family-owned Demoulas Super Markets Inc. will face off in a meeting on Thursday, July 18, to determine whether or not Demoulas will be removed from office.

Abilene, Texas -- Sam’s Club will open a 136,000-sq. ft. relocated club today in Abilene, Texas. Mayor Norm Archibald and the Abilene Chamber of Commerce Redcoat Committee are scheduled to attend the grand opening.

A social shopping list app called Divvy was chosen from among more than 76 entrants who participated in innovative exercise in crowd-sourced digital development conducted by Target and Fast Company.

The Divvy app was created by a New York-based group that called itself Team Pilot and received a $75,000 prize for their effort. The Divvy app which is designed to improve the group shopping experience by allowing multiple users to update a shopping list in real time while making it easier to split the bill and distribute receipts.

Minneapolis  -- Target has announced the winner of the $75,000 grand prize in its Retail Accelerator contest: a mobile retail concept called “Divvy.” Jointly promoted by Target and Fast Company, the Retail Accelerator competition was designed to foster digital innovation in retail by challenging developers to build a new mobile experience for Target.

FT. LAUDERDALE — National retail brand builder Zimmerman Advertising has shaken up its leadership team. It appointed former Papa John's International CMO Andrew Varga to agency president and promoted its current president Pat Patregnani to CEO.