News

NEW YORK — The National Retail Federation has announced the newest executives elected to serve on its board of directors. The announcement was made during NRF's 101st Annual Convention in New York.
Each new board member will serve a three-year term. Macy’s Inc. chairman, president and CEO Terry Lundgren was re-elected to serve another full-year as  chairman of the NRF Board. 

The new executives elected to serve on NRF board of directors include:

• Thomas Belk, chairman and CEO, Belk Inc.

QUINCY, Mass. — Stop & Shop has reintroduced its Guaranteed Value product line in an effort to help customers on a budget.

The line, which includes about 200 items, touts prices that are an average of 20% to 25% less than national brands. What's more, 60% of the items cost $2 or less. What's more, packaging for items that are part of Guaranteed Value have undergone a makeover, with the yellow, blue and red packaging being replaced with a bright orange and white design that highlights the value offered with each product.

BENSALEM, Pa. — Charming Shoppes announced that Elizabeth Crystal has joined Lane Bryant as SVP, chief marketing officer.

Crystal will develop and lead the brand positioning, marketing, and advertising strategies for the Lane Bryant and Cacique brands. She will serve as the brand strategist, working with senior leadership to elevate and expand the brand's presence, the company said.

Woodland Hills, Calif. — Great American Group, a provider of asset disposition, valuation and appraisal services, has appointed Mike Wyse to a new VP position at the company.

In the new role, Wyse will focus on generating revenue through the cross-promotion of all Great American Group’s services with an emphasis on the retail services sector. 

New York City -- Menards is considering a new store in a Springfield, Mo., shopping mall -- as long as it isn’t included in the development’s community improvement district (CID), according to an article in the Springfield News Leader.

The Eau Claire, Wis.-based home improvement chain is planning a 162,000-sq.-ft. store in the Hickory Hills Marketplace, which levies a 1% tax on tenants to help pay back the cost of public improvements at the development.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. on Wednesday announced it is temporarily suspending its efforts to sell its credit-card-receivables portfolio until later this year or early 2013. The company also outlined plans to pay J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. about $2.8 billion, along with a make-whole premium, to retire financing from 2008. The payment, along with a premium, is expected to reduce its fourth-quarter earnings by about 8 cents per share.

An analysis of retailers’ ad circulars from throughout 2012 conducted by ECRM shows some familiar names dominate the list of top promoted brands and reveals some interesting movements among others.

The ECRM report shows use of circular print ads grew by 5.5% in 2011 despite increased activity overall in the areas of online, mobile and social.

SAN BRUNO, Calif. — Wal-Mart Stores has named a replacement for Eduardo Castro-Wright, who announced his pending retirement in September. The company announced that Neil Ashe is the new president and CEO of the company's global e-commerce business, effective Jan. 16. Castro-Wright will assist in the transition.

Ashe is replacing Eduardo Castro-Wright who announced his pending retirement in September and will assist in the transition.

SAN FRANCISCO — In an effort to help the thousands of troops returning home from serving overseas, Banana Republic has announced “Our Duty to You,” a program created to help military personnel prepare for their next professional opportunities. 

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club has launched a new program with San Francisco, Calif.-based warranty provider SquareTrade and other partners to offer feature-packed mobile phone protection plans for Sam's Club members. Priced at $59 for standard phones and $99 for smart phones, the protection packages include:

• Two-year protection for normal failures including battery replacement

• Accidental damage protection including full liquid immersion with a $49 deductible