Mass Merchant

DSW has appointed former Shopko executive Mary Meixelsperger as CFO, effective May 1. Meixelsperger replaces Douglas Probst, who is retiring from DSW on the same day.

"We are pleased that Mary is joining the DSW team," said president and CEO Michael MacDonald. "Mary is a seasoned executive with a breadth of experiences in merger integration, strategic systems planning and implementation, financial analysis and tax planning. With her leadership, we will position DSW for continued growth and progress towards our strategic goals."

Columbus, Ohio -- DSW Inc. has appointed Mary Meixelsperger as CFO effective May 1. Meixelsperger replaces Douglas Probst, who is retiring from DSW on the same day.

A new low cost money wiring service from Walmart saves customers money and showcases the thought process the company applies to disrupt high margin businesses and generate store traffic.

The new service is called Walmart-2-Walmart and when it launches on April 24 customers will be able to wire up to $900 for only $9.50. between Walmart’s 4,000 U.S. locations. The service is intended to complement Walmart’s existing relationship with MoneyGram which offers a broader range of financial services including international transfers.

Cheshunt, U.K. – Philip Clarke, CEO of leading U.K. grocery and general merchandise retailer Tesco plc is publicly resisting calls for his resignation following a 6% decline in annual profits and 3% quarterly drop in U.K. same-store sales. Tesco has reported falling profits for two consecutive years following 20 years of continual profit growth.

New York - Retailers are preparing for a strong Easter shopping season, with shipments of “Easter” related items up more than 22% from 2013. According to analysis of shipments from December to February (the time when retailers stock their shelves for Easter) from global trade data provider Panjiva shows that U.S. retailers recorded a total of 4,610 Easter-related shipments during this period in 2013-2014, compared to 3,772 in 2012-13.

Evansville, Ind. -- Shoe Carnival Inc. is collaborating with the Lifetime show “Devious Maids” to further promote the company’s first national, integrated advertising campaign. Shoe Carnival’s national campaign with “Devious Maids” and new tagline “A Surprise in Store” will run on national cable with on-air, in-store and social support.

The advertising campaign coincides with the season two premiere of the series “Devious Maids,” which will debut on April 20.

New York -- Tesco Plc plans to bring its value-priced F&F clothing format to the United States, opening seven stores on the East Coast this year with its U.S. franchise partner, Retail Group of America. The move comes some six months after Tesco sold off its struggling American supermarket operation, Fresh & Easy, to Ron Burkle's Yucaipa investment company.

Gap’s Banana Republic brand has named Marissa Webb as creative director and EVP of design, effective April 28. She will report to global president of Banana Republic, Jack Calhoun.

Webb will be responsible for guiding the brand’s overall creative direction, as well as leading global product design for Banana Republic Women’s, Men’s and Accessories.