News

BENSALEM, Pa. — Charming Shoppes has announced that Jeffrey Liss has been promoted to SVP general manager of Charming Direct, the company's direct-to-consumer business.

San Francisco -- McKesson on Monday announced that it has completed the previously announced acquisition of the independent banner and franchise businesses of Katz Group Canada in an all-cash transaction that closed March 25.

DALLAS — Former Sears chief marketing officer, Monica Woo, has joined Mozido, a leading global provider of low-cost, multi-channel financial services platform for mobile network operators, financial institutions, consumer packaged goods corporations and retailers, as EVP, global chief marketing and strategy officer. 

In this capacity, Woo will be responsible for Mozido's overall brand strategy, communications, and customer experience across channels, as well as key business-building initiatives.

CINCINNATI — Paul Varga, chairman and CEO of Brown-Forman Corp., has been elected to the Macys Inc. board of directors.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation has appointed a new VP communications.

Effective Apr. 9, Katie Wilson will be responsible for overseeing NRF’s industry efforts, a multitude of communication vehicles and advancing NRF advocacy priorities on issues important to the retail community, NRF said. She will assume many of the responsibilities of Ellen Davis, who was recently named NRF SVP and executive director of the NRF Foundation.

Pittsburgh -- Lucas Systems, a provider of voice directed warehouse applications, announced that The Container Store has installed Jennifer VoicePlus for voice picking in the retailer’s Dallas- area, 1.1 million-sq.-ft. distribution center.

NEW YORK — Fortune has released its 2012 list of the most admired companies, and it should come as no surprise that Apple topped the list. Even with the passing of Steve Jobs, the company didn't miss a beat delivering products that are still in high demand, increasing sales and delivering soaring profits for its investors.

Also on the list were a number of retailers including third-ranked Amazon.com, 20th-ranked Costco Wholesale, 24th-ranked Wal-Mart Stores, 25th-ranked Target, 28th-ranked Whole Foods Market and 41st ranked eBay.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Increased cutomer traffic and average ticket, helped drive comps at Cost Plus up 7.6% for the fourth quarter of 2011 on top of a 7.7% increase from the fourth quarter of last year. The company reported that net sales for the quarter were $364.3 million, a 6.7% increase compared with $341.6 million for the fourth quarter of last year.