Consumer Electronics

Washington, D.C. -- Online marketplace LivingSocial said Tuesday that former Best Buy EVP and CMO Barry Judge has been appointed its new chief marketing officer.

Judge is charged with extending LivingSocial’s leadership in the local commerce space by overseeing online and offline advertising, brand management, social media and communications.
 
Judge first joined Best Buy in 1999 to help the company launch Bestbuy.com.

NEW YORK — Same store sales at Bed Bath & Beyond could be in for a nice bump if a pricy new hair removal product becomes popular with shoppers.

Andrea Freeman has joined lease-to-own retailer Aaron’s as VP of marketing.

1. Baby & Child, Santa Monica, Calif.

A brand new concept from Restoration Hardware, Baby & Child offers a hip, modern take on upscale children's’ home furnishings. With its taupe tones and sophisticated stylings, this new format is far removed from the pastel, whimsical universe of Pottery Barn Kids and most other kids’ stores. Read More

Beachwood, Ohio -- DDR Corp. on Thursday announced the acquisition of two prime power centers for $151 million during the fourth quarter.

DDR purchased Carolina Pavilion, located in Charlotte, N.C., from Blackstone Real Estate Partners for $106 million. The 94% leased, 852,000-sq.-ft. center is anchored by Target, Kohl's, Nordstrom Rack, Ross Dress for Less, Buybuy Baby, Bed Bath & Beyond, Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores and AMC Theatres.

Nineteen of the nation’s leading retail and CPG companies received perfect scores on the 2013 Corporate Equality Index compiled by the Human Rights Campaign.

The Human Rights Campaign released its 2013 Corporate Equality Index, which gives companies ratings of up to 100% based on their policies regarding LGBT employees and also released a buyer's guide for LGBT consumers. According to the equality advocacy group, a total of 1,848 companies were invited to submit applications, of those 530 actually did so and of those 252 received scores of 100%.

Paris -- A Friday report by Reuters said that Virgin Megastore’s French division will declare insolvent next week, slated to unveil a plan to file for payments suspension on Jan. 7.

The French operation is the latest victim of the slump in CD and DVD sales.
 
Virgin France is owned by private equity firm Butler Capital Partners, and operates 26 Virgin-branded stores in France.

WASHINGTON — The NRF Foundation and American Express announced the winners of their fifth annual Aspire2Retail Intercollegiate Challenge. Each student will receive an educational scholarship worth $2,500.

The contest is designed to increase understanding of diverse career paths in retail by engaging university students in a competitive, collaborative roleplay that involves implementing a multi-tiered business strategy.