News

American Apparel has appointed Scott Brubaker as interim CEO and Hassan Natha as EVP and CFO, effective immediately, following John Luttrell’s resignation from the company. Luttrell had been serving as interim CEO and CFO.

As part of its new ad match campaign, Family Dollar plans to match the price on any local competitors' printed advertisement starting tomorrow.

For the U.S. as a whole, temperatures will trend similar to last year and below normal, but there will be a split in trends across the nation with warmer temperatures in the West and cooler temperatures in the more densely populated East. The month will begin with warm weather across much of the nation and that will continue into the Columbus Day weekend in the East before turning cooler. The Northwest region will trend wetter than last year, but it still remains drier than normal, while the Southwest will be wetter than last year and normal.

The makers of Adams flea and tick control brand have chosen Cheryl Knapp’s English Bulldog Ducky as the grand prize winner of its Smart Pets Contest.

Knapp won the choice of $15,000 cash or a smart car plus smart pet bragging rights. Stardom for the clever canine begins today as a close-up of Ducky flashes from a digital billboard 23 stories above New York's Times Square.

The H&M Conscious Foundation, an independent nonprofit global foundation initiated by H&M to drive long-lasting positive change for people and communities, has partnered with WaterAid to bring safe water and toilets to a quarter million students in some of the world's poorest countries by 2017.

Fashion model and H&M Conscious Foundation ambassador Alek Wek was joined on stage at the Global Citizen Festival by H&M Conscious Foundation global manager Helena Thybell to present the foundation's flagship program with WaterAid.

Over the last decade, U.S. airport in-terminal dining and retail programs have begun a transformation. As passengers’ time spent within terminals has increased, the demand for enhanced airport in-terminal experiences has equally increased. In turn, the state and local governments that own and operate all commercial service U.S. airports have shifted their retail and dining programs from generic offerings with minimal services to programs with a wide variety of specialty retail and dining brands, innovative technology and upscale amenities to respond to the new consumer expectations.

Seattle -- Social shopping, e-commerce videos, free shipping and in-store pickup rank among the top trends expected to drive holiday sales for online retailers, according to Blueocean Market Intelligence, a global analytics and insights provider.

New York -- Uniqlo is partnering with DOOB, a global provider of 3D technology-based products and services, on an interactive holiday campaign called the “Selfless Selfie Project. The program encourage people to take a selfie that isn’t as much about them but about giving back – such as pledging to do something to give back to their local community.

By Bill Davis, Director, MB&G Consulting

Mixed-use projects have become a consumer home base

The concept of a shopping center as a place where people simply show up to make a few purchases and leave is becoming passé. Increasingly, developers are building mixed-use centers that include residential, office and entertainment components, which turn them more into a consumer home base and less of a functional destination.