Unilever Co.

Crossmark, a leading sales and marketing services company, has elevated president and COO Ben Fischer to the CEO spot, effective April 7. He will succeed Joe Crafton, who is retiring after 26 years of service with the company.

Tiffany & Co. has appointed Ralph Nicoletti as its next EVP and CFO, effective April 2. He steps into the CFO role following current chief operating officer and CFO James N. Fernandez’s plans to retire in July.

Nicoletti will be based in New York and responsible for the company’s worldwide financial functions and information technology. He will report to chairman and CEO Michael J. Kowalski

Jack Link’s plans to purchase Unilever’s meat snacks business, primarily sold under the BiFi brand (Germany, Benelux, Austria and Switzerland) and the Peperami brand (UK and Ireland). The sale is expected to close by the end of March.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction, subject to customary closing conditions, also includes the manufacturing facility in Ansbach, Germany.

Pleasanton, Calif. – Safeway Inc. is exploring a sale of the company as it reports substantial increases in net income due to its exit from the Canadian market, and smaller increases in net sales for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014. Although the discussions for a sale are ongoing, the company said it has not reached an agreement on a transaction, and there can be no assurance that these discussions will lead to an agreement or a completed transaction.  

Unilever U.S. has teamed up with the Fashion Institute of Technology’s Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management master's degree program to explore “the changing face of the beauty consumer.”

Dollar General chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling was elected chairman of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) to fill a position held the past two years by Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel.

Dreiling’s appointment was announced at RILA’s semi-annual board of directors meeting held Sunday in Naples, Fla. Steinhafel will continue to serve as a member of organization’s executive committee.

New York — O’Connor Capital Partners has acquired 150 and 151 Worth Avenue, a 142,000-sq.-ft. luxury shopping center in Palm Beach, Fla. O’Connor made the acquisition on behalf of an institutional client.

The Goodman Company developed the center from 1978 to 2001. Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus anchor the center, which is also home to Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Tory Burch and Pucci as well as several other national and local tenants.

Wolverine Worldwide has appointed Gina R. Boswell to the company's board of directors.

Boswell is EVP, personal care, for global food, personal care and household products company Unilever. She has held numerous senior leadership positions with other leading global companies, including Avon Products, Ford Motor Company and Estée Lauder Companies.

Amit Menipaz, general manager of structured data at eBay, and John Inwright, president and CEO of Quality Supply Chain Co-op, the co-op for Wendy’s, have been appointed to the GS1 U.S. board of governors.
 

Dead Sea mineral-based skin care brand Ahava has appointed Beth Ann Catalano as president of Ahava North America, effective Jan. 1, 2014. Catalano succeeds Elana Drell-Szyfer, who recently joined the ranks at Kenneth Cole Productions.