Sales & Marketing

Nashville – Retail's top industry analysts will join forces with C-level retail executives and technology vendors at the Retail Orphan Initiative's SuperSaturday event in New York on Jan. 12, one day before the opening of the National Retail Federation’s annual convention. Admission to retailers is free, and all proceeds from the vendor sponsorships go to help the Retail Orphan Initiative, Retailroi.org.

New York -- Consumer confidence declined more than expected in December, reaching a four-month low as Americans grew concerned about the possibility of higher taxes next year. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary consumer sentiment index decreased to 74.5 this month from 82.7 in November. Economists had projected a preliminary reading of 82 for December.

WASHINGTON — Goodwill returns to the Pepco Edison Place Gallery with its Goodwill of Greater Washington pop-up retail shop. Pepco donated space so the stores can temporarily open its doors for the holiday with the theme Peace & Goodwill.

New York -- British billionaire Sir Philip Green, the owner of the Arcadia retail group, sold a 25% stake in his fast-fashion Topshop and Topman retail chains to Los Angeles-based Leonard Green & Partners for about $805 million. Arcadia’s other retail divisions include Miss Selfridges, Bhs, and Dorothy Parker.

Online holiday sales continue to set new sales records, according to digital measurement firm comScore, and Walmart is presumably sharing in that growth given its site typically ranks second only to Amazon in terms of traffic.

Miami Beach, Fla. -- Terranova Corp. has signed a lease with Gap, providing a temporary store for the retailer while it builds its new multi-story location on Lincoln Road in Miami.

Gap will open a new location just off Lincoln Road at 1669 Meridian Ave., two blocks away from Gap’s current location at 1001 Lincoln. The existing Gap will close by early 2013, when Gap will begin redeveloping the building into a two-level, 20,000-sq. ft. flagship store. During construction, Gap will stay open for business at the Meridian Avenue location.

New York -- Cathy Green Burns, president of Food Lion, has left the company and is being succeeded by Beth Newlands Campbell as part of a major organizational shakeup at Delhaize America, according to published reports. Delhaize America is a division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group. Campbell previously served as president of Hannaford Supermarkets.

New York -- CVS Caremark is reportedly looking to expand outside of the United States by acquiring Onofre, the eighth-largest pharmacy chain in Brazil, according to published reports.

The Valor Economico newspaper reported that CVS Caremark plans to pay $313 million to acquire an 80% stake in Onofre and will also assume the company's debt.

“We don’t comment on market rumors,” CVS Caremark spokesman Mike DeAngelis told Drug Store News.