News

Skechers Performance Division has signed seven-time PGA Tour champion Matt Kuchar — currently ranked fifth in the world — as the first brand ambassador for the Skechers GOgolf line.

The multiyear partnership will feature Kuchar in a global advertising campaign that covers TV, print, digital and outdoor mediums. The company will also collaborate with Kuchar on a namesake signature shoe line.
 

San Francisco -- Kenshoo, a provider of predictive media optimization technology, announced the beta release of its newest digital marketing targeting solution, Intent-Driven Audiences (IDA), which matches clicks on search engine ads to audiences on Facebook in real-time. This allows marketers to show ads to consumers that have searched for specific keywords and also use Facebook’s targeting capabilities to find more customers like them.

Hershey's Chocolate World has opened a retail location at New York-New York Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
 
The West Coast flagship store, which occupies two floors and boasts a 74-ft. high by 24-ft. wide Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bar façade sign that visitors can walk through, immerses consumers in more than 800 candy and chocolate offerings, including Hershey’s, Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s, Ice Breakers, Jolly Ranchers and Twizzlers brands.
 

Shopko has tapped veteran pharmacy executive Michael Cantrell as the company’s new SVP of retail health. Cantrell will report to CEO Peter McMahon.
 
A registered pharmacist and licensed attorney, Cantrell is joining Shopko from Delhaize America, where he was VP of pharmacy. Prior to Delhaize America, he held various executive positions at AmerisourceBergen and Longs Drugs.

WTI expects June 2014 to trend similar to last year and above normal for the U.S. as a whole. Cooler and more normal temperatures can be expected from the Western Plains to the Rocky Mountain states. Temperatures will be cooler than last year along the West Coast, but still above normal with slightly weaker demand for summer categories. In the Northeast, temperatures will trend similar to last year while precipitation trends drier than a very wet June 2013, which will benefit store traffic and increase demand for outdoor categories.

By J. Kent Smith, Galleria RTS

The long established buzzword, “localization” is more important today than it has ever been. The approach of ever broadening assortments has clogged shelves, exaggerated mark-down costs and compromised returns; with slotting fees no longer sufficient to bridge the gap. Put simply, retailers are out of space, capital and resources; urgent action is required.

CashStar, a digital gifting company, has named John Caron as chief marketing officer to lead all strategic corporate and product marketing efforts in support of the company’s aggressive growth plans.

New York -- Walmart plans to expand its online price comparison tool, Savings Catcher, that compares prices on select products with those of some of its competitors to cities nationwide over the next few months, the Associated Press said. The retailer is also adding more products to the tool, which will now be available on Walmart's mobile app.