Sales & Marketing

DALLAS — Kimberly-Clark has elected Tony Palmer, SVP and chief marketing officer, to the role of president global brands and innovation.

In his expanded role, Palmer will leverage the company's scale to build brands and drive growth for its businesses around the world.  He will partner with K-C's regional business leaders to achieve their business objectives.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens customers can now access exclusive offers when they check in at any Walgreens store through Foursquare.

The drugstore chain said customers that check in via Foursquare instantly will receive a unique scannable coupon via their smartphone, which is redeemable in the store and does not require texting, reply or other steps.

Houston — Profits at apparel retailer Stage Stores rose 2% to $32.7 million during the fourth quarter, from $32 million a year earlier.

Revenue increased 6% to $479.1 million from $453.7 million, beating Wall Street's $468.2 million forecast.

For the year, Stage Stores reported net income of $31 million, down from $37.6 million in the prior year. Annual revenue climbed 3% to $1.51 billion.

Arlington, Va. — E-commerce sales continue to grow and have a major impact on multichannel retailers, according to new report from The Retail Industry Leaders Association. RILA, in partnership with Auburn University and with sponsorship from Accenture, on Wednesday released the third annual State of The Retail Supply Chain report.

Incoming Target CFO John Mulligan and outgoing CFO Doug Scovanner participated in a Target sponsored meeting last Friday at the New York stock exchange. The event gave Wall Street analysts an opportunity to get to know Mulligan, and the consensus is the guy is a strong replacement for longtime CFO Scovanner whose tenure ends March 30.

YONKERS, N.Y. — After three consecutive months of improvement, the Consumer Reports Index for March slipped to 46.1, from 49.6 last month.

March's Consumer Reports Index measures overall consumer financial health and showed that the confidence of the American consumer is waning.

Further challenging consumer confidence, The Trouble Tracker Index increased slightly this month to 52.2 from 49.1 in February, and is now at its highest level since August 2011.

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Children's Place Retail Stores is the latest retailer to report fourth-quarter sales that were negatively impacted by the unseasonably warm weather this winter. The company said that comparable-store sales for the quarter declined 2.7%, and net sales were up only slightly (0.9%) to $457.5 million from $453.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2010. 

Children's Place also reported a drop in income from continuing operations after tax from $32.7 million, or $1.24 per diluted share, to $24.2 million, or 97 cents per diluted share.

Secaucus, N.J. — The Children's Place Retail Stores reported a drop in fourth-quarter net income. Children's Place also reported a drop in income from continuing operations after tax to $24.2 million, from $32.7 million in the year-ago period. The company said that comparable-store sales for the quarter declined 2.7%, and net sales were up only slightly (0.9%) to $457.5 million, from $453.2 million for fourth quarter 2010.

The chain said fourth-quarter sales performance was negatively impacted by the unseasonably warm weather this winter.