Honda Motor Co.

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.)
     

When Walmart lowered its full year sales forecast last month the company said customer were being cautious with their spending. Maybe so, but that wasn’t the case in new car showrooms were automakers reported record sales and in the process created new holiday headwind for Walmart and other retailers.

Retailers were already leery about the outlook for consumer spending this holiday season and reports Wednesday of record auto sales in August only add to the concern.

Both Walmart and Target reported disappointing second quarter sales and tempered their outlook for the full year. Conversely, car salespeople across the country were clinking champagne glasses and cashing commission checks as their employers, everyone from Mazda to Honda to Porsche and Ford, said August was a record month.

INDIANAPOLIS — Banana Boat sunscreen is riding shotgun with Target-sponsored Chip Ganassi Racing for the second year in row at the 2013 Izod IndyCar Series. The sunscreen products producer is leveraging the partnership to market its Banana Boat Sport Performance CoolZone sunscreen and Banana Boat Protect and Hydrate Sunscreen lotions. 

Go offline, young man: That appears to be the mantra of e-commerce merchants these days.

As competition in the world of online retailing heats up — with Amazon's ever-burgeoning dominance posing the biggest threat — more pure-players are taking the brick-and-mortar plunge. It's a reminder, many experts say, of the strong appeal of the in-store experience — even when stacked up against the convenience of online shopping.

A guest approaches the concierge desk and asks for help finding a gift. The concierge knows the retail selection and can help. If the product is unavailable here, the concierge will, if necessary, send her to another store across town.

That sounds like Nordstrom service.

But this isn't Nordstrom. It is the concierge desk at The Americana at Brand in Glendale, Calif., a mixed-use development from Los Angeles-based Caruso Affiliated. It's what happens at every center in the Caruso Affiliated portfolio of 2.1 million sq. ft. of retail and residential properties.