Sales & Marketing

City of Industry, Calif. -- Hot Topic said Monday that Chris Daniel, president of the company’s plus-size Torrid division, has resigned effective April 29.

The company has named Betsy McLaughlin as interim head of Torrid upon Daniel’s departure, and said it will conduct an outside search for a permanent replacement.

New York City -- Athletic goods and footwear company Asics has opened an ultra-modern flagship in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The two-level store, located next to the city's legendary Vondelpark running center, has a sleek, futuristic design and offers several exclusive services, including advanced biomechanical and running analysis systems. Click here to see photos.

Atlanta -- Columbia, S.C.-based Edens & Avant announced that Ulta, along with additional retailers and restaurants, will open at its Merchant’s Walk open-air center in the East Cobb area of Atlanta.

LOS ANGELES -- Costco has engaged Creative Channel Services' CyberScholar Retail Network to increase in-store product knowledge and enhance shopper experiences, the company reported.  The warehouse retailer has integrated CCS' CyberScholar portal into its U.S. employee development strategies for consumer electronics (CE) product lines.

West Palm Beach, Fla. -- Boca Raton, Fla.-based Woolbright Development announced that it has acquired Village Commons shopping center, located in West Palm Beach, Fla. 

Woolbright will oversee the center’s leasing, property management, construction management, marketing and promotions.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. -- The TJX Companies announced that its board of directors approved a new management structure as part of the company’s ongoing leadership succession planning. Carol Meyrowitz continues as CEO as well as a director of The TJX Companies and has entered into another two-year employment agreement. Ernie Herrman has been promoted to president of The TJX Companies from his post of senior EVP, group president.

Meyrowitz will now have Herrman and Jeffrey Naylor, senior EVP, chief financial and administrative officer, reporting to her.

Berwyn, Pa. -- Planalytics announced that Sonic Corp. has subscribed to its Business Weather Intelligence Platform. Sonic is utilizing Planalytics' Consumer InsightsSM service to analyze, quantify and manage the weather's impact on restaurant traffic and demand for certain products such as fountain drinks, frozen treats and entrees.

"Planalytics will help us better understand the impact of weather in each of our key markets," stated Barbra Castleberry, manager of marketing analysis for Sonic, which has more than 3,500 locations nationwide.

The Chicco brand of baby gear hit Target stores this week with three key items featured in the retailer’s weekly ad. Those same items were then called out in stores with red placards the size of album covers, in case anyone remembers what those were, that featured the advertised sales price. The items featured included a Chicco Cortina travel system for $260, a highchair for $130 and a playpen for $160.