Yum! Brands

New York – Grocery discounter Aldi has been ranked the world’s “simplest” brand, with simplicity defined as a clarity of purpose that enables employee innovation and customer service. According to the annual 2013 Global Brand Simplicity Index from strategic marketing firm Siegel & Gale, Amazon.com is ranked second, followed by Google, which came out on top this year. The report is based on a study of 10,000 consumers in seven countries,

Newell Rubbermaid is consolidating its marketing efforts and picking one lead creative partner and one lead media-buying partner to help oversee the company’s global advertising and promotion investment.

Dallas — SRS Real Estate Partners has announced a September transactions and new assignments carried out by SRS offices across the country.

SRS Atlanta:
•    Three new tenants have inked deals at Krog Street Market, a 30,000-sq.-ft. mixed–use redevelopment project owned by Paces Properties. Fred’s Meat & Bread has leased a 600-sq.-ft. space; Gu’s Dumplings has taken 600 sq. ft. and The Little Tart Bakeshop plans to open a 200-sq.-ft. market stall.

San Diego  — Representing a real estate investment trust, The Mansour Group has sold a portfolio of five Applebee’s for $13.3 million.

To complete the transaction, The Mansour Group sourced a private high net worth California investor, who sold an apartment complex and acquired the portfolio through a 1031 exchange. The restaurants are located in North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Minnesota and Kentucky:

As if competing against Target, Best Buy and Amazon.com isn’t challenging enough, nationwide the fast-food “strike” which took place Thursday offered a glimpse of the type of headline-grabbing, disruptive activities Walmart can expect from its opponents this holiday season.

Waban, Mass. – Amazon.com was the top-ranked company across 19 industries in the 2013 Web Experience Ratings from Temkin Group. Amazon.com had a score of 77%, almost 21 percentage points higher than the retail industry average.

Other retailers in the top 10 included eBay, tied for fifth place at 70%, and QVC, tied for eighth place at 69%. Taco Bell and Kmart earned ratings that were at least 15 points below the retail industry average. Old Navy was the only retailer to have a double-digit score increase from last year.

Irvine, Calif. – Taco Bell plans to discontinue all kids’ meals and toys at its U.S. restaurants. The fast-food chain will start removing the items from its menu at stores this month at anticipates to have eliminated all kids’ meals and toys in the U.S. by January of next year. Menu items from kids’ meals will remain available for individual purchase.

Greg Creed, CEO of Taco Bell, said kids’ meals are not part of the company’s long-range strategy and have an insignificant impact on overall sales.

Aston, Pa. -- Action Services Group, a national retail and commercial lighting, sign and electrical maintenance and service company announced a service agreement with Morgan’s Foods Inc., operator of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut Express and A&W restaurants under franchises licenses, to perform sign and exterior lighting service and maintenance for 73 of their franchise units.