Honda Motor Co.

By Greg Van den Heuvel, Pitney Bowes Software

Black Friday traditionally marks the first day of the holiday shopping season. During the most recent holiday season, millions of Americans have participated in the shopping frenzy, which according to CMO.com, accounts for nearly 40% of all annual sales. Black Friday weekend alone accounted for 133 million American shoppers, diving deep into discounts, hoping to land the best deal and get a head start on their holiday shopping.

Dayton, Ohio -- Interbrand, a leading global brand consultancy, announced Wednesday that Lee Carpenter is leaving his current position as CEO of the North America region. Carpenter, CEO of Interbrand North America since 2007, will step down from his full-time role, effective July 23. He will continue to advise Interbrand during the next three months, but has decided to focus his attention on other personal opportunities.   

Shopko has tapped veteran pharmacy executive Michael Cantrell as the company’s new SVP of retail health. Cantrell will report to CEO Peter McMahon.
 
A registered pharmacist and licensed attorney, Cantrell is joining Shopko from Delhaize America, where he was VP of pharmacy. Prior to Delhaize America, he held various executive positions at AmerisourceBergen and Longs Drugs.

Philadelphia — Want to buy a car? Check out the automotive showroom at Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust’s Cherry Hill Mall.

PREIT has undertaken a three-month partnership with GoMoto, an automotive tech company that aims to change the way people shop for cars.

In 1984, at the impressionable age of 17, Doug McMillon’s journey with Walmart began in a way that hardly foretold he would one day become CEO. On the way to a Walmart warehouse for his first day of unloading trucks, McMillon rear-ended his supervisor’s car with his father’s Honda Civic, he recalled in the February issue of Walmart World.

Although McMillon’s early exposure to Walmart came inside a sweltering distribution center, he said the camaraderie, enthusiasm and passion he witnessed let him know something special was going on.

The Integer Group, a leading global promotional, retail and shopper marketing agency, has named Todd Miller as SVP/executive creative director.

Dayton, Ohio -- Retail design and brand strategy firm Interbrand Design Forum has added nine new associates as business continues to grow with key retail and manufacturing  clients.
 
Allen McCormick has been named executive director, overseeing relationships with key client partners. Becky Lau was hired as senior consultant, strategy and analytics. Aaron Stancik is also new to the Strategy & Analytics group where he will serve as a senior consultant working on projects for Michael Hill and FedEx.

Retail design and brand strategy firm Interbrand Design Forum has added nine new associates as business continues to grow with key retail and manufacturing clients.
 
Allen McCormick has been named executive director, overseeing relationships with key client partners. Becky Lau was hired as senior consultant, strategy and analytics. Aaron Stancik is also new to the Strategy & Analytics group where he will serve as a senior consultant working on projects for Michael Hill and FedEx.

New York -- Apple is the most valuable brand in the world, replacing Coca-Cola, which held the top position for 13 years, according to an annual study by brand consultancy Interbrand.
 
Apple’s brand value jumped 28% to $98.3 billion, followed by Google, with a brand value of $93.3 billion. Coca-Cola, which has held the top spot since Interbrand issued its first Best Global Brands report in 2000, fell to third place, at $79.2 billion. (The top 25 brands are ranked below.)