Sales & Marketing

PetSmart is leveraging a Halloween costume contest to drive traffic to stores. The specialty retailer is holding the contest Saturday, Oct. 19 at stores nationwide, as well as locations in Canada and Puerto Rico.

As added incentive for pet parents to take their costumed furry friends to stores to participate, PetSmart is offering the first 50 pets in costume at each store between 9 and 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19 free treats from Dentastix and Temptations, plus a coupon for $1 off a Bret Michaels Pets Rock toy purchase.

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue in January 2014 will unveil its renovated men’s store in its Chicago flagship on Michigan Avenue. The renovation will encompass a total redesign of floors six and seven, creating an open environment that will be easily accessed by a new express elevator that will take passengers directly to the men’s floors.  

Management consulting firm Kurt Salmon has named Deanna Emsley as a partner in the firm’s Retail and Consumer Products Group.

Emsley has nearly 25 years of experience in retail, specializing in planning, forecasting, distribution and omnichannel. She has worked as a consultant and in-house for top-tier brands, including Williams-Sonoma and Abercrombie & Fitch.

New York -- Management consulting firm Kurt Salmon appointed Deanna Emsley as a partner in the firm’s retail and consumer products Group.

Prior to joining Kurt Salmon, Emsley was senior VP of inventory management and corporate strategy for women's clothing and accessories retailer Coldwater Creek, where she was responsible for sales, margin and inventory plans for all channels.

Los Angeles -- Faced with an uncertain economic and political environment and the first government shutdown in nearly two decades, Americans are expected to tighten their holiday budgets this year, beginning with Halloween, according to market research firm IBISWorld. Total spending on the holiday is anticipated to grow only 3% to $7.63 billion in 2013, compared to a strong 17.8% increase in 2012.
 

North Plainfield, N.J. — Retail leasing activity remained strong through the spring and summer months of 2013, according to Levin Management, which reports more than 295,000 sq. ft. of renewals and transactions from Easter through Labor Day. The company’s portfolio includes 90 properties totaling 12.5 million sq. ft. of space in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and North Carolina.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a leading marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products, has reached an agreement with Bell Laboratories, Inc., a leading rodent control technology developer, to acquire the Tomcat consumer rodent control business.

Foster City, Calif. – Consumers are spending more money via digital commerce than ever before. According to a new survey from Visa and GfK Research, “The Way We Pay,” more than half of respondents are more comfortable spending money online today than five years ago. The data shows that consumers are spending more than they ever have – exceeding $1 billion per day on the Visa network in 188 days since January.