News

Webtrends, a global leader in digital marketing soluctions, has appointed David Mitchell as the company’s CEO. Mitchell has more than 25 years of executive management experience in the software industry, and will lead the company's business strategy and worldwide operations.

PHOENIX — WestStar MultiMedia Entertainment, parent company to the nationally syndicated “Kim Komando Show,” has appointed longtime SkyMall president Christine Aguilera as chief operating officer of WestStar MultiMedia and president of WestStar Merchandising.

QVC has promoted John Cowan to the position of SVP of information technology global services. Cowan, who will report to Linda Dillman, CIO, will be responsible for driving key global IT initiatives and providing leadership for QVC's European IT organization.

As Walmart’s former EVP of corporate affairs, Leslie Dach was credited with spearheading major initiatives to bolster the company’s reputation. In a recent piece for the Harvard Business Review, written before he left Walmart, Dach weighed in on how being a better company is the only way to win on the reputation front.

Click here to read Dach's column. 

Global management consulting firm Hay Group has released its eighth annual Best Companies for Leadership Study and global Top 20 list. Walmart made the list as the seventh best company for leadership in 2013, up from eighth place in 2011/2012 and ninth place in 2010.  

The study surveyed nearly 18,000 individuals at more than 2,200 organizations worldwide to examine how companies develop their leaders and foster cultures of innovation. This year, Procter & Gamble led the Top 20 list followed by Microsoft, General Electric and Coca-Cola. 

Local leaders and community members joined Walmart, its 65 employees and hundreds of customers for the grand opening of the Walmart Neighborhood Market in downtown Los Angeles at 701 W. Cesar E. Chavez Ave. 

The store soft opened on Friday, Sept. 13 to give folks an opportunity to preview the store, and since then has served more than 10,000 customers.

Progresso Soup has introduced some new varieties of ready-to-eat soups to its product lineup, including in its Progresso Light and Progresso Heart Healthy lines.

Joining the Progresso Light line are Light Chicken Corn Chowder and Chicken and Cheese Enchilada.

Three new soups will join the Rich and Hearty line: Tomato Florentine with Italian Sausage, Lentil and Andouille Sausage, and Creamy Alfredo with Penne and Chicken.

Pier 1 Imports president and CEO Alex W. Smith identified misguided marketing and store assortments as the primary causes for the retailer’s poor earnings and performance for the second quarter ended Aug. 31. 

The retailer substantially missed expectations with a 32% decline in net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2014 compared to the same period last year. Net income totaled $17.8 million in the most recent fiscal quarter, down from $26.2 million.

New York -- Staples and RadioShack Corp. have removed Amazon lockers from their stores, according to Bloomberg. The chains were among a group of retailers who have been testing the system.

According to the report, Staples ended the partnership with Amazon because it didn’t meet the criteria the two companies set up, while RadioShack said the program did not fit with its strategy.

Boulder, Col. -- Publix Pharmacy is North America’s favorite based on customer satisfaction, according to a new study of 3,600 consumers conducted by customer intelligence solutions provider Market Force Information. Target was a close second and Kroger ranked third. All three received high marks in operational attributes such as service, cleanliness, atmosphere and checkout times.

Walgreens and CVS/pharmacy ranked the highest when those consumers were asked to name their pharmacy chain, with 18% identifying Walgreens and 17% CVS.