Chain Store Age Executive Fax articles from December 2004

Chain Store Age Executive Fax archives from December 2004

New stores, new markets.(The Home Depot Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Z Gallerie)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Z Gallerie will open its third store in Atlanta on the first floor of the Market building. It also has stores at North Point Village and Perimeter Mall.... The Home Depot opened its second store in New York City, across from Bloomingdale's,...

Blockbuster bags late fees, gives customers grace period.(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... No more late fees. That's the message Blockbuster gave to its customers this week when it announced it was pulling the plug on late fees for movies and games, beginning Jan. 1. Instead, it is introducing a one-week grace period, which will...

Wal-Mart, target give sales updates.(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Winter-related merchandise is selling below plan at Wal-Mart, but the retailer maintained its 1% to 3% same-store sales growth projection for December. The company stated this week that strong food sales and higher average purchases are some...

Walgreens bids adieu to Amex cards.(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Walgreens is telling its customers they can "leave home without it"-their American Express card, that is. The drug store retailer said this week that it will no longer accept American Express cards at its stores nationwide, effective Jan. 14,...

Lazaran ousted as CEO of Winn-Dixie.(Frank Lazaran)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Two week's after it was dropped from the S&P 500 index--for recording the worst performance in the select stock index last year--Winn-Dixie gave its chief executive the boot. The grocer forced out CEO/president Frank Lazaran, who was hired in...

Gymboree Corp.(People In The News)(Myles McCormick resigned)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Myles McCormick resigned as CFO of Gymboree Corp. Blair Lambert, a director who was named COO earlier this month, will oversee the company's finance functions....

Chico's FAS.(People In The News)(Susan Powers appointed)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Chico's FAS named Susan Powers as VP of store operations, effective Jan. 4, 2005. She most recently was VP, director of stores at Wet Seal. Chico's also named Rod Olson as VP of operations for its White House|Black Market division....

KB Toys Wholesale.(People In The News)(Jack Dromgold appointed)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Jack Dromgold was named general manager of sales and marketing of KB Toys Wholesale. He has served with Parker Bros. and MiltonBradley....

PETsMART.(People In The News)(Gregory Josefowicz elected )(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... PETsMART has elected Gregory Josefowicz, chairman, CEO and president of Borders Group, to its board....

Mervyn's.(People In The News)(Rick Leto appointed)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Mervyn's named Rick Leto, a former Galyan's Trading Co. executive, president and chief merchandising officer, effective Jan. 5, 2005....

Hancock Fabrics.(People In The News)(Jane Aggers appointed)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Hancock Fabrics named Jane Aggers, a former executive with Jo-Ann Stores, as CEO and president, effective Jan. 31, 2005.

Most consumers not done shopping yet.(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... There's good news and great news for retailers whose registers are ringing more slowly than they would like. The good news is that the average consumer has completed just 46.3% of their holiday shopping through Dec. 8, according to a report...

Athlete's Foot to close 124 stores.(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... One week after filing for bankruptcy protection, The Athlete's Foot said it will shutter 124 company-run stores in 25 states. The closings will include a dozen stores in the retailer's home state of Georgia, according to The Atlanta...

Energy savings, Food Lion synonymous.(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Food Lion may not have the most grocery stores in the nation, but the retailer can boast that it has more energy-efficient locations than any other supermarket retailer. A total of 205 Food Lion locations have earned the Energy Star...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Boscov's Department Stores Inc. closes one of its stores)(Wal-Mart fires several executives)(Brief Article)
December 17, 2004... Boscov's Department Store will close down one of its 16 stores in the greater Philadelphia market, according to a report in the Reading Eagle. The closing will effect roughly 104 employees. Boscov's, which operates 41 stores in total, will...

New stores, new markets.(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Guitar Center opens early next year in Tulsa, Okla., at the Union Plaza Shopping Center. The retailer also operates a store in Oklahoma City.... Books-A-Million added a store in Melbourne, Fla., at Avenue Viera.... The Sharper Image...

Holiday shopping still sluggish, last-minute buyers await deals.(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... This holiday season can be equated to that of a good old-fashioned standoff. On one side are the retailers, with promotional signage and markdown tools set in their holsters. Standing across from them are the majority of U.S. consumers, whose...

Vornado shows interest in 'toys' bid.(Vornado Realty Trust)(Toys "R" Us Inc.)
December 10, 2004... A new bidder has made known its intention of acquiring Toys "R" Us' real estate, and perhaps not surprisingly, it is a landlord. Vornado Realty Trust has teamed with buyout firm Bain Capital to bid for the toy retailer's store sites,...

Coughlin to retire from Wal-Mart.(Tom Coughlin )(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Following a 25-year career with the largest retailer, Tom Coughlin has decided to retire from Wal-Mart Stores. He joined the company in 1978 and most recently served as vice chairman, overseeing the Wal-Mart stores, Sam's Clubs and...

Best Buy.(People In The News)(Brian Dunn promoted)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Best Buy promoted Brian Dunn to president of North American retail division. He most recently served as executive VP of retail sales for U.S. Best Buy stores. Also, Allen Lenzmeier was named vice chairman of Best Buy. Lenzmeier also announced...

Drugstore.com.(People In The News)(Kathy Gersch appointed)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Drugstore.com named Kathy Gersch as VP, chief marketing officer and general manager. She most recently was executive VP of marketing and merchandising at GiftCertificates.com.

West Marine.(People In The News)
December 10, 2004... Peter Harris was named CEO and elected to the board of West Marine, effective Jan. 3, 2005. He succeeds John Edmondson, who is retiring. Harris most recently was CEO of the San Francisco 49ers. Prior to that, he served as CEO of FAO Schwarz...

HSN U.S.(People In The News)(Mark Ethier promoted)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Mark Ethier was promoted to COO of HSN U.S. He most recently was executive VP of operations.

Gymboree.(People In The News)(Blair Lambert appointed)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Blair Lambert was named COO of Gymboree, a new position, effective Jan. 18, 2005. He had been on the board of directors since 2003. Lambert also served as CFO of bebe stores and Illuminations.com.

GNC.(People In The News)(General Nutrition Centers Inc. promoted David Heilman)(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... GNC has promoted David Heilman to executive VP, chief administrative officer, a new position. Heilman is a 10-year company veteran, having served most recently as the company's CFO. Last week, Lou Mancini resigned as CEO of GNC.

Candie's to Soothe Kohl's sugar fix.(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Kohl's will become the exclusive provider in the United States of all Candie's footwear and apparel. Under the terms of the long-term deal, Candie's footwear, apparel and accessories will be introduced into Kohl's junior and girls departments...

Three California grocers settle suit.(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Three supermarket retailers with operations in Southern California have agreed to pay $22.4 million to settle a class-action lawsuit. The payment will be distributed among roughly 2,100 janitors who worked at Albertson's, Ralphs and Vons...

A&P looks to $75 million in cost savings.(Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. )(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. hopes to reduce its costs by $75 million over the next two years. The company, which operates 649 stores in 10 states, plans to take charges of up to $10 million over the next year to implement changes....

This week's retail news nuggets.(Brief Article)
December 10, 2004... Electronics Boutique Holdings Corp. reportedly will open about 100 new stores in the current quarter, half of which will be located outside of the United States. An article in The Wall Street Journal stated that the specialty retailer opened...

New stores, new markets.(La-Z-Boy Inc., The Home Depot Inc., barnesandnoble.com Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Barnes & Noble will replace its store in Evanston, Ill. The chain signed a lease to open at Sherman Plaza in September 2006.... The Home Depot hopes to open in Austintown, Ohio, by yearend.... Ethan Allen just added stores in Houston and...

Slow start to holiday season as sales rise just 1.7% in November.
December 3, 2004... Perhaps it was the aftereffect of the tryptophan in the turkey that led consumers to hold off on buying many of their holiday purchases in the days following Thanksgiving. Retail comparable-store sales rose a mere 1.7% in November across the...

Ross Stores.(People In The News)(Michael Kobayashi )(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Ross Stores named Michael Kobayashi as its senior VP, CIO, effective Dec. 16. He comes from Accenture, where he most recently served as a partner with the retail and consumer goods division....

Federated Department Stores, Inc. appointed Edwin Holman as chairman and CEO of its Atlanta-based Macy's Central division, effective Jan. 10.(People In The News)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Federated Department Stores, Inc. appointed Edwin Holman as chairman and CEO of its Atlanta-based Macy's Central division, effective Jan. 10. He will replace David Nichols, who is retiring next June. Holman most recently was chairman and CEO...

Tiffany & Co.(People In The News)(Michael Christ appointed)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Michael Christ was named president of Tiffany & Co.'s Japanese division, which operates roughly 54 stores in that country. Christ joined the luxury retailer in 1995 and most recently served as group VP of U.S. retail sales. He replaces...

Wilsons Leather.(People In The News)(Michael Searles appointed)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Wilsons Leather appointed Michael Searles as CEO, effective Dec. 15. He will succeed Joel Waller, who has been with the retailer for three decades and will remain as chairman. Searles also was elected to the retailer's board of directors....

The Wet Seal.(People In The News)(Allan Haims resigned)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Allan Haims has resigned as president of The Wet Seal. The news follows the resignation of Peter Whitford, the chain's chairman and CEO.

Former Kmart execs charged with fraud.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged three former divisional vice presidents at Kmart this week for their involvement in a $24 million accounting scandal. The SEC also charged current and former executives of Coca-Cola,...

Rhodes sells sites, Pathmark may follow.(Rhodes Inc.)(Pathmark Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Roughly one month after filing for bankruptcy protection, Rhodes, Inc. announced that it is disposing of 21 name-brand furniture stores and warehouses, and three John M. Smyth's Homemakers Furniture stores. The sites, in Georgia, Illinois,...

Signs point to recovering job market.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... Despite an increase in the number of people signing up for unemployment benefits, economists say the overall level of applications points to a recovering job market. New filings for unemployment insurance increased by a seasonally adjusted...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Brief Article)
December 3, 2004... American Eagle Outfitters has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Bluenotes retail apparel business to a private company controlled by Michael Gold, owner of YM Inc., a Canadian retail company.... CBL & Associates Properties, Inc....