News

Outdoor equipment and apparel company Black Diamond named former Sony and Gap executive Zeena Freeman as president and eventual CEO.

The Salt Lake City-based manufacturer of outdoor performance equipment and apparel said Freeman would join the company as president, reporting to co-founder and CEO Peter Metcalf, who she will succeed in that role next June.

A new effort from Gap Kids is allowing parents the chance to have their child featured in an ad campaign in 2015.

Supervalu welcomed nearly 4,000 independent grocery retailers to St. Paul, Minn., this week for the grocery distributor’s inaugural national sales expo and trade show.

Mobile commerce platform provider mShopper is facing off with Google over responsive web design, and is driving a petition requesting an amendment to Google's stance on the matter.

mShopper recently launched a new mStore designed to help online retailers drive conversions and improve sales using mobile devices. According to mShopper CEO David Gould, responsive web design will have an adverse effect on mStore and mobile commerce in general.

A new partnership with Hendrick Motorsports has 3M off to the races. The company has signed a three-year contract to become the primary sponsor of NASCASR driver Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 car, starting in 2015.
 
The brand will use its sponsorship — which includes 11 Sprint Cup races every year — in product launches and promotions.
 

Retail spending growth was at an 11-month high in July and consumers turned to planes, trains and automobiles as summer vacation travel led strong spending during the month, according to data reported today by First Data Corporation, a leading global payment technology and services company.

McCormick’s VP, general counsel and corporate secretary W. Geoffrey Carpenter plans to retire January 1, 2015. Carpenter has been with McCormick for more than 30 years and has served there as an executive officer since his appointment to his current position in 2008.

Travis Smith is stepping down as Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores’ president and CEO, effective immediately — a role he was promoted to January 31, 2010.

The board of directors is undertaking a comprehensive search to find his replacement. Until then, Jim Kerr, the company’s EVP and CFO, will serve as interim CEO of the company, while continuing in his current role. Kerr will partner with Riddi Kline, EVP of marketing and merchandising, and Tom Williams, EVP of operations and human resources, to manage the business.

Dole Fresh Fruit’s sales and marketing team will be taking a trip to Kannapolis, North Carolina, to see the company’s Nutrition Research Laboratory on the state’s research campus.
 
The visitors will be led by Dole’s VP of nutrition research Nicholas Gillitt, who will show them around the campus and explain research in the hope that the marketing team will pass it on to consumers.
 

New York -- The latest SpendingPulse report from MasterCard showed that U.S. retail sales rose 4.6% year-over-year in July, the largest year-over-year gain since October 2012.

Lodging, Airlines and Restaurants were among the top categories for U.S. retail sales last month, while Automotive, Grocery and Luxury items (excluding Jewelry) were less sought after by consumers.