Personnel Updates
• GameStop Holdings Corp. announced that Janet Bareis will join the company as Senior VP of Collectibles, a newly created position within the company.
• H&R Block Inc. named Jeffrey J. Jones II as President and CEO.
• Office Depot Inc. announced that Jerri DeVard has been appointed as Exec VP and Chief Marketing Officer.
• Sur La Table announced it has appointed Billy May as the company’s new CEO.
• Target Corporation announced Mark Kenny will join the company as VP Divisional, Meat and Fresh Prepared Food. Liz Nordlie will join the retailer as VP, Product Design and Development for Food and Beverage. The retailer also appointed Minsok Pak as Exec VP, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer.
Mergers and Acquisitions
• Target Corporation has announced it will acquire San Francisco-based Grand Junction, a transportation technology company. Grand Junction Founder and CEO Rob Howard will become a VP of Technology at Target, and Grand Junction’s employees will become Target team members.
Industry Insight
• Target Corporation has opened four small-format stores on or near college campuses in Chapel Hill, NC; Los Angeles and Irvine, CA; and Cincinnati, OH. Three more similar locations are set to debut this fall.
• Walmart Stores Inc. announced plans to restructure its operations in the United States, consolidating its business divisions from six to four.
Real Estate
• Amazon.com Inc. announced plans to open new fulfillment centers in North Randall, OH, and Salem, OR. The company also announced it is planning to open a 1 million sq. ft. warehouse near Mexico City, Mexico next year.
• Dollar General Corp. announced it has opened its 14,000th store location.
• Kmart announced plans to close 28 more stores this year.
• PETCO Animal Supplies Inc. announced new stores in Tucson, AZ; Newark, NJ; Fresno, CA; Winter Park, FL; Chicago, IL; Foxborough, MA; Green Oak Township, MI; North Conway, NH; Fayetteville, NC; Spanish Fork, UT; and Medford, WA. The company also announced the reopening of newly remodeled locations in Casper, WY and Van Nuys, CA.
Technology News
• QVC, Inc. has teamed up with Perfect Corp. to offer the first-ever TV-mobile augmented reality shopping experience. The YouCam Makeup app will allow users to virtually test beauty products directly from their mobile device.
• Walmart Stores Inc. is expanding the deployment of its Scan & Go mobile app, which is being tested in approximately 12 stores across AR, FL, TX and GA. The app allows customers to scan merchandise to their shopping carts, and lets shoppers checkout directly through their smartphone.
• Walmart Stores Inc. has revealed plans to introduce shopping via voice. Through a new partnership with Google, customers can order products by linking their Wal-Mart accounts with Google Express. Users will be able to shop via voice on Google Home or on Google Express beginning next month.
