Sales & Marketing

The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association has a new chairman and four new board members.

Ohio State University assistant vp for business advancement Rick Van Brimmer was elected chairman of the trade group, filling a position that was held the past two year by Maura Regan with Sesame Workshop. Other key moves saw LIMA board member James Slifer with The Joester Loria Group named vice chairman and Pete Yoder of Cartoon Network elected to the executive committee as a liaison to the board.

New York -- Target Corp. on Wednesday requested that customers no longer carry guns in its stores.

The retailer found itself embroiled in controversy when gun-rights activists in Texas and several other states chose Target stores to demonstrate their belief in the right to openly bear arms. In response, the chain came under heavy fire from groups such as "Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense" and others who expressed concern about firearms being carried into an environment where the shoppers are often accompanied by children.

While on summer vacation, nearby location trumps brands for many types of consumer purchases, and mobile devices will be the dominant form of search. A new study conducted by location marketing automation provider Placeable shows that proximity is apparently so important that only 1% of vacationers consider reviews when looking to replace a forgotten item.

Austin, Texas - Retailers have barely reached the halfway mark in their journey to omnichannel maturity. According to the results of a new report from Starmount and Retail Systems Research (RSR) that asked retailers to rate themselves on six dimensions of omnichannel maturity, the lowest overall rankings (an average score of 2.7 on a six-point scale) were in omnichannel order and fulfillment capabilities.

In addition, 67% of retailers were “inefficient” or worse at integrating in-store and digital experiences. Other findings include:

In conjunction with its new premium tween brand for girls called I Heart UGG, UGG Australia is planning to launch on July 14 a dedicated e-commerce site that will offer the entire product line called iheartugg.com. 

The line includes footwear, loungewear, accessories and handbags and will be available in the United States, Japan and China. The new brand, the company said, has been designed to not only tap into the tween market but also to foster enduring brand loyalty among customers. 

Plano, Texas – J.C. Penney has filed an appeal of a June 16 ruling by the New York State Supreme Court that it "tortuously" interfered with Macy’s 2006 contract with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia when Penney entered into its own contract with Martha Stewart in 2011. In the ruling, Justice Jeffrey K. Oing said Macy’s failed to prove that it is entitled to punitive damages.

Kroger is expanding into new markets and growing its presence in the e-commerce channel with its acquisition of Vitacost.com, a leading online retailer of vitamins and supplements. 

According to the definitive merger agreement, Kroger will purchase all outstanding shares of Vitacost.com for $8 per share in cash, or approximately $280 million.

By Corey Gale, Director of Marketing – Retail and E-commerce, North America, Micros