BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY: To mark the drugstore’s return to Times Square, Walgreens planned to flip the switch on a massive, three-sided billboard soaring 341 feet above the street Thursday night at 8 p.m. The billboard, spanning 17,000 square feet, is billed as the nation’s most advanced digital sign, complete with 12 million energy-efficient light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. The store, located on 42nd Street between Broadway and Seventh Avenue, is Walgreens’ 11th in Manhattan, and its 53rd store across all five boroughs, up from 35 two years ago.
JUST IN CASE: Beauty.com has partnered with fashion designer Rachel Roy for a gift-with-purchase program that allows customers who spend at least $100 on the site to obtain a black case designed by Roy. The item, which has a glossy, woven exterior and a satin interior pouch, also includes an interior label reading “Rachel Roy New York Beauty.com.” Marketing materials show more than a dozen beauty products that come along with the case, which has a $150 value. Beauty.com is a wholly owned subsidiary of Drugstore.com.
THESE FOUR WALLS: Philosophy — the plucky, feel-good beauty brand — plans to open a third stand-alone store on Nov. 28, in Santa Monica, Calif., marking the company’s first store outside of its home base in Phoenix. Philosophy plans to open another three to five units next year as part of an effort to test its retail expansion plan, according to the company. The 851-square-foot store in Santa Monica, located on Montana Avenue, will offer treatments including peels, Philosophy’s signature “makeunders” and skin care consultations. The space was designed by M.J. Munsell from the design firm Callison, and includes a center island where customers can experiment before they buy.
NEW DIGS: Paul Labrecque is taking over the existing salon at the exclusive The Core Club, and will offer spa, salon and men’s grooming services. The new location brings Labrecque’s total salon count to three. While The Core Club, located at 66 East 55th Street, is a lifestyle club for members only, the salon will be open to the public.
PERFUMER APPOINTMENT: Jean-Michel Duriez is turning his nose to Procter & Gamble’s Rochas fragrance businesses. The perfumer, who has overseen fragrance development at P&G’s Jean Patou brand for a decade, has been named in-house nose at Rochas. He will continue to hold the same role at Patou. Duriez is one of only a handful of in-house noses working within the industry today, as beauty brands typically outsource fragrance creation. In October, P&G inked a global licensing deal with Gibò to manufacture and distribute Rochas ready-to-wear. P&G shuttered the money-losing fashion house in 2006.
STOUTE APPEAL: With Jay-Z pouring on the praise from a video screen and Mary J Blige cheering from the audience, Steve Stoute was inducted into the Advertising Hall of Achievement of the American Advertising Federation. The awards are given to top advertising professionals aged 40 and under. Stoute, founder and chief creative officer of Translation Consultation + Brand Imaging, was one of eight recipients during a luncheon Tuesday at Cipriani’s on 42nd Street. As a music label executive and brand marketer, he has produced campaigns for McDonald’s, Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., Samsung and General Motors. He also is chairman of Carol’s Daughter, a beauty and personal care brand. Lisa Price, founder and president of the brand, was one of the presenters. Before the ceremony, she said it was nice that Stoute was getting credit for the work that is widely known. “Everyone knows the McDonald’s campaign; they can hum the jingle,” she said. “They just don’t know that Steve did it.” During the video tribute, John Demsey, a group president at the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc., said, “He’s a marketing and communications genius.”
