News

Mall of America has unveiled an Enhanced Service Portal that aims to improve the digital and physical shopping experience by integrating all the communication channels through which consumers contact Mall of America into a unified service.

O’Connor Capital Partners, a privately owned, independent real estate investment, development and management firm, has named Glenn J. Rufrano as chairman and CEO.

Rufrano was a founding partner of the O’Connor Group, the firm’s original incarnation, and has served on the board since 2010. He has also acquired a full partnership stake in the firm.  

Whirlpool has promoted Joseph Liotine to president of the company's U.S. operations and appointed him to the corporation's executive committee. Liotine is currently VP of marketing for the company's North American region.

True Religion Apparel has appointed Mary Alderete as the company’s chief marketing officer. Alderete, who will report to CEO David Conn, will be charged with shaping the marketing strategy for True Religion across the company’s retail, wholesale, international and e-commerce platforms.

By Justin Coward, managing director, mobile retail systems, VeriFone, ASPAC

Party City’s sales during the 2012 Halloween season were adversely impacted by an estimated $10 million as a result of Super Storm Sandy, but the specialty retailer bounced back this year with retail sales totaling $395 million, up 10.6% from the same period last year.

The company's retail banners include Party City (which, in turn, includes the company's Canadian locations and recently acquired and rebranded iParty stores), Halloween City, Party City.com and Party Delights.

New York -- Starbucks Coffee Company said it would pay Kraft Foods $2.79 billion to settle a dispute over the coffee-shop chain’s bagged-coffee business.

The payment, ordered by an arbitrator, consists of $2.23 billion in damages and $557 million in interest and attorneys’ fees. The company said it has adequate liquidity, both in the form of cash on hand and borrowing capacity, to fund the payment and will book it as a charge to its fiscal 2013 operating expenses.

Procter & Gamble has announced a string of organization changes, including the retirement of 37-year company veteran Dimitri Panayotopoulos, vice chairman and adviser to the chairman and CEO, effective Jan. 2, 2014.

Panayotopoulos joined P&G in 1977. He served in sales and general management roles spanning Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, eventually overseeing all P&G brands as vice chair – Global Business Units. As previously announced, he was elected to his current role as advisor to the CEO effective July 1, 2013.