Retail

Atlanta – The Home Depot Inc. has promoted Ted Decker to executive VP of merchandising, effective Aug. 4. Decker is a 14-year veteran of The Home Depot, where he most recently served as senior VP of retail finance, pricing analytics and assortment planning.

Rosemont, Ill. - Horizon Group Properties Inc. and CBL & Associates Properties Inc. have opened The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass, which opened fully leased with 90 stores and eateries. The Outlet Shoppes of the Bluegrass is the only outlet center in the state and is located between Louisville and Lexington on Interstate 64.

Grapevine, Texas – The GameStop Technology Institute (GTI) business unit of GameStop has entered into strategic partnerships with iBeacon solution providers Shelfbucks and BestFit Mobile, as well as social media hub provider Dynamic Signal. The partnership with Shelfbucks and BestFit will bring Shelfbucks’ iBeacon platform and BestFit Mobile’s ProxDK solution into to its brick-and-mortar retail locations.

Seattle – Consumers like the Firefly feature that lets users of the Amazon Fire phone scan objects to obtain information and perform instant purchase on Amazon.com, but not enough to switch from their current phones to Amazon Fire. According to a survey of 53 consumers from UserTesting, 84% chose Firefly as their number one or two favorite feature of Amazon Fire.

York, Pa. -- Daniel T. Motulsky has been named to the board of directors of The Bon Ton Stores Inc., effective Aug. 1. Motulsky, 52, was a managing director and global head of consumer & retail of financial advisory and asset management firm Lazard from 2000 to June 2014, having joined the firm in 1998.

Charlotte, N.C. -- Following the resignation of president and chief merchandising officer Kathryn Bufano to take the CEO slot at Bon-Ton, Belk has promoted David Zant as its replacement, effective Aug. 11.

Zant, who will report to Tim Belk, chairman and CEO, has served as Belk’s executive VP and general merchandising manager of men’s, home and kids since 2008.

Atlanta – Havertys reported essentially flat net income growth in the second quarter of fiscal 2014. Net income was $4.82 million, compared to $4.83 million in the second quarter of the prior fiscal year.

Net sales rose 2.5% to $175.13 million, from $171.11 million. Same-store sales climbed 3.2%.