Marketing Tactics

San Francisco — Gap has joined the growing ranks of retailers opening holiday pop-ups. The chain has teamed with the New York City hipster publication Cool Hunting to open a temporary store at Gap's 5th Avenue and 54th Street gallery space. It will be open through Jan. 2, 2011, and feature more than 100 products hand-selected by Cool Hunting's editors.

Milford, Conn. -- Don Fertman, chief development officer for the Subway sandwich chain, is the latest executive to go undercover on the CBS television series “Undercover Boss.” Fertman, a 29 year veteran of the restaurant chain, will be seen baking bread, stocking sandwich ingredients, slicing vegetables, taking inventories and serving customers, on the episode that airs Nov. 21, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

By Julius C. Dorsey Jr., [email protected] and Roy T. Bergold Jr.[email protected]

Aside from maybe the eccentric billionaire who on a whim decides to open a shop to sell hand-whittled tumbleweed sculptures, probably not many. For the rest of the owners and managers in the real world, sales and profits are the only reasons they’re in business.

Chicago -- The new, post-recession American shopper is high maintenance, promiscuous and demands an innovative and engaging experience in-store and online. According to a new study released by Leo Burnett’s marketing services arm, Arc Worldwide.

New York City -- AnnTaylor Stores Corp.'s fiscal third-quarter profit rose, aided by better-than-expected sales growth. Net income surged to $24.2 million in the third quarter ended Oct. 30, compared with $2.1 million a year earlier.

Total sales rose 9.3% to $505.3 million, above analysts' expectations of $492.8 million.

Same-store sales increased 11.7% overall, with a 21.9% rise at the Ann Taylor brand and a 4.5% less expensive Loft chain.