Retail

After more than 46 years of service, Publix Super Markets Miami division VP Bill Fauerbach has announced his decision to retire at the end of March 2014. Stepping into the role in his place will be Kevin Murphy on April 1.

“Bill helped grow our culture and build a solid foundation on which the Miami division will continue to grow. We thank him for his many contributions, and he will be missed by us all,” said Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw.

Amazon.com is the most popular U.S. online retail site when it comes to having Web content shared on Pinterest in the run up to Christmas 2013.

In a study of 10 top US retail sites, images and pages from Amazon.com are being shared most frequently on Pinterest, with Walmart and Apple taking second and third positions, respectively. According to a study conducted by digital marketing software and services specialist Searchmetrics, content from Amazon.com currently generates 16,360 pins per week, Walmart generates 5,778 pins per week and Apple generates 3,871.

Retail sales in November increased a better-than-expected 0.7% seasonally-adjusted month-to-month, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The figure includes categories such as automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants.

Analysts were expecting sales to rise 0.6% in last month. The latest retail sales numbers were 4.7% above November 2012 numbers.

So far 20 states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws permitting and regulating the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Colorado and Washington have gone further and legalized the recreational use of marijuana. Moreover, Americans’ tolerance for the legalization of marijuana is increasing. An October 2013 Gallup poll showed that 58% of Americans favor legalizing marijuana.

What does this trend mean for retailers, especially those operating in multiple states? The answer is complex, as the law is evolving.

Walmart declared an early Black Friday victory and reported record Cyber Monday sales, but the big box retailer is not done yet. Starting at 8 a.m. Friday, it is launching its Christmas Countdown Savings Event and dropping prices on popular toys, electronics, apparel and table games.

With only 12 days to shop before Christmas, the strategy aims to drive last-minute shoppers to both its stores and e-commerce site.

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.
 

Restoration Hardware co-CEO Carlos Alberini has resigned his post, effective Jan. 31, 2014. He plans to continue serving as a member of the company’s board of directors and will remain a significant shareholder.

Alberini is heading to Los Angeles, where he will take the helm as chairman of the board and CEO of Lucky Brand, effective upon closing of the pending acquisition by Leonard Green & Partners.

Lululemon’s increases in net revenue, gross profit and comparable-store sales beat expectations, but shares slid after the company said it anticipates flat comparable-store sales in the fourth quarter.

According to reports, shares dropped 10.7% to $61 after the company posted its financial results for the third quarter ended Nov. 3, which saw net revenue increase 20% to $379.9 million from $316.5 million in last year’s third quarter. Comparable-store sales in the quarter increased 5%.