Brad Wolansky

South Deerfield, Mass. -- The Yankee Candle Co. said Monday it has named Brad Wolansky to the newly created role of president of direct and CMO. The retailer said Wolansky’s appointment is part of a strategic initiative focused on building the company's brands, expanding the digital platform and accelerating growth of its direct-to-consumer business. Wolansky most recently served as CEO of web-based The Golf Warehouse. He also has served as VP global e-commerce at The Orvis Co.

As we ring in a new year, many retailers are wondering what's in store for 2011. With an economy that's still bouncing back from the Great Recession, it's hard to predict the future (yet we're going to try anyway). For many retailers, 2010 proved to be a year of recovery. They're hoping to continue down that path again this year. To help you get a feel for what lies ahead, Retail Online Integration surveyed leaders in the cross-channel and e-commerce retail space in the fall of last year to get their predictions for 2011. Here's what we learned.

For merchandise sellers not rooted online, alternative payment programs such as PayPal and Bill Me Later once carried the stigma of being designed primarily for consumers with bad debt. But as representatives from two major integrated retailers, American Eagle Outfitters and Orvis, noted during a session at August's eTail Conference in Baltimore, that's no longer the case.

Redcats USA, a multi-channel, web-driven home shopping leader, announced today that Brad Wolansky has been appointed CEO of The Golf Warehouse. He will be a member of the Redcats USA Executive Team.