Sales & Marketing

Sam’s Club next week is set to hold the first of three unique supplier fairs designed to improve sourcing from women and minority owned firms.

The event is scheduled for April 25 from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is designed to provide education on the Sam’s Club merchandising strategy, engage potential suppliers, strengthen relationships with diverse suppliers and identify product offerings relevant to the members that Sam’s Club serves.

Austin, Texas -- Cencor Realty Services said that Jeff Nebrat has been promoted to senior VP and head of asset and property management for Cencor Realty Services’ Austin office.

Nebrat, who has been with the company for 14 years, now oversees all asset and property management operations of the 2.8 million-sq.-ft. portfolio of properties operated by Cencor in Austin. His property management duties involve leading the day-to-day operations of a portfolio that encompasses 40 retail centers with more than 500 tenants.

LONDON — The break-even forecast for the U.S. division of Tesco has been pushed back to early next year, the U.K. retail giant announced in its fiscal-year results.

Encino, Calif. -- Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services announced a number of appointments within its National Retail Group offices around the country.

Joel M. Dumes has been named director of the firm’s National Retail Group in Cincinnati; Dumes is currently VP investments for the company.

Scott J. Wiles, a seven-year veteran of the company, was named director of the firm’s National Retail Group in Cleveland, and Erin E. Patton is now director of the National Retail Group in Columbus, Ohio.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN announced Thursday that it has appointed Nordstrom chief marketing officer Anne Martin-Vachon as its new chief merchant.

Effective May 14, Martin-Vachon’s will assume the position of chief merchandising officer for the multichannel retailer, charged with overseeing HSN's merchandising and planning teams. She will report directly to Mindy Grossman, CEO.

Houston - Stage Stores said Thursday it has made Michael Glazer’s role as interim president and CEO a permanent one.

Glazer, a board member for the chain, was named interim chief following Andy Hall’s resignation in March.

According to Stage chairman William Montgoris, Glazer’s familiarity with the company’s growth and expansion strategy helped him secure the permanent role. “It became clear the company and its shareholders would be best served by making his appointment permanent," Montgoris said.

Minneapolis -- In a video released by Best Buy and reported by Bloomberg, Best Buy Co. interim CEO Mike Mikan told employees on Thursday that his No. 1 priority in his new role is to execute the changes the company announced last month and plan a new direction for the retailer.

“In the days and weeks ahead, I’ll be working with our leadership team on a long-term vision, a path toward the future that will connect Best Buy with customers across multiple channels while improving performance,” Mikan said.
 

NEW YORK — A report released by Bloomberg showed that household confidence improved last week to match the highest level in four years. 

The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index was minus 31.4 in the period ended April 15, compared with minus 32.8 over the previous seven days. The reading equaled that from two weeks earlier as the best since March 2008.

Despite the strong showing, the monthly expectations measure fell from a one-year high, showing ongoing concerns that too many Americans are still unemployed.