Chain Store Age Executive Fax articles from February 2005

Chain Store Age Executive Fax archives from February 2005

New stores, new markets.(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... PETsMART signed a lease for 21,102 sq. ft. in Williamsburg, Va., at the Windsor Meade Markeplace.... Downtown Locker Room will open 10 new stores in the mid-Atlantic and Georgia, including its first-ever store in Charlotte, N.C. The chain also...

January retail sales grow 3.6%, beating the experts' forecast.
February 4, 2005... Retail overcame tough year-over-year sales comparisons, unfavorable calendar shifts and challenging winter weather to beat sales forecasts for January. According to the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), retail sales rose 3.6% in...

Men's Wearhouse.(appointments)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Eric J. Lane has retired from the post of president and COO of Men's Wearhouse. He will be succeeded as president by Charles Bresler. Douglas S. Ewart will take over as COO, and also will hold the title of executive VP. Men's Wearhouse also...

OfficeMax.(appointed Reuben E. Slone as executive VP)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... OfficeMax named Reuben E. Slone as executive VP, supply chain. He joins the company from Whirlpool Corp....

The Wet Seal Inc.(appointments)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The Wet Seal Inc. named Sidney Horn, Harold Kahn and Kenneth Reiss to its board of directors. Horn is a partner of Montreal-based international law firm Stikeman Elliott LLP. Kahn is a former CEO of Macy's East and a current director of Steven...

Jo-Ann Stores.(appointed Gertrude Van Horn as senior VP and CIO)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Jo-Ann Stores has hired Gertrude Van Horn as senior VP and CIO. She previously served as VP of global information delivery systems for Office Depot....

Limited Brands.(appointed William R. Loomis, Jr. to the Board of Directors)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... William R. Loomis, Jr. was elected to the board of Limited Brands, the company said. Loomis is a former CEO of Lazard LLC....

Chico's FAS Inc.(promoted Sher Canada to Senior Vice President)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Chico's FAS Inc. promoted Sher Canada from VP to senior VP of Chico's Stores....

Payless ShoeSource.(aapointed Michael Weiss to its board of directors)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Payless ShoeSource elected Michael Weiss to its board of directors, with a term to expire in 2007....

Big Lots.(People In The News)(appointed James Tener to the board of directors)(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... Big Lots appointed James Tener to the board of directors.

Blockbuster renews fight for Hollywood.(Hollywood Entertainment )(Brief Article)
February 4, 2005... The bidding war over Hollywood Entertainment isn't over yet. Blockbuster Inc. took an unsolicited bid of $14.50 per share directly to Hollywood shareholders. The bid tops an offer from Movie Gallery, which recently agreed to buy Hollywood for...

Bidding war may erupt for Woolworths.(Woolworths Group PLC )
February 4, 2005... Struggling U.K. retailer Woolworths Group PLC is suddenly very popular after private equity firm Apax Partners expressed an interest in buying the retailer. Although Apax said its considerations were in an early stage, the firm said it would...

Wal-Mart wins pharmacist overtime appeal.
February 4, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores won an appeal in a lawsuit dealing with overtime pay to pharmacists. The ruling means the retailer will get a second chance to present its argument that it shouldn't have to pay millions of dollars in overtime pay. The ruling...

This week's retail news nuggets.
February 4, 2005... Federated Department Stores and May Department Stores continue to explore a possible merger, but price has emerged as a sticking point. The Wall Street Journal says that Federated CEO Terry Lundgren recently met with May's acting CEO John...

New stores, new markets.(store openings)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Barnes & Noble will open a two-level, 32,000-sq.-ft. store in April 2006, in Southlake (Texas) Town Square on Highway 114.... The Home Depot opened a 102,000-sq.-ft. store on Route 322 in Cranberry Township, Pa., and another location in...

Strong markets, job growth point to economic warming.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... A new report from Deloitte & Touche LLP foresees positive economic development through 2005. As evidence of better days ahead, the firm cites falling oil prices, increasing household net worth, a rallying stock market and a strong bond market....

Bernard is out as Carrefour CEO.(Daniel Bernard)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Carrefour chairman and CEO Daniel Bernard tendered his resignation after 13 years with the French retailing giant. Bernard's departure follows Carrefour's recent decision to restructure, which was made in response to mounting pressure to boost...

Saks may exit department stores.(Saks Inc.)(Saks Department Store Group)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Board members of Saks, Inc. will meet at the end of the month to discuss the possibility of selling or spinning off the Saks Department Store Group, according to The Wall Street Journal. The 238-store group is Saks' middle-market group, and...

Sears hatches essentials format.(Sears, Roebuck and Co.)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Sears, Roebuck and Co. announced a new off-mall format: Sears Essentials. The mid-sized format, set to debut this spring, will emphasize products essential to home and family life. Sears Essentials will mix basic product categories with...

Ross Stores.(People In The News)(James C. Peters replaced by Gary Cribb)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Ross Stores announced that James C. Peters has resigned as president, COO and as a member of the board of directors. Michael Balmuth, vice chairman and CEO, has assumed the additional title of president. Peters was replaced as COO by Gary...

RedEnvelope Inc.(People In The News)(Kristine N. Dang promoted as executive vice president)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... RedEnvelope Inc. has promoted Kristine N. Dang from general merchandising manager to executive VP of merchandising and creative. Prior to joining RedEnvelope in 1998, Dang was an assistant buyer at Williams-Sonoma Inc....

Sara Lee Corp.(People In The News)(Breanda Barnes is appointed as chief executive officer)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Breanda Barnes is the new CEO of Sara Lee Corp....

Hewlett-Packard Co.(People In The News)(Robert Wayman replaces Carly Fiorina as chief executive officer)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Hewlett-Packard Co. ousted company chairman and CEO Carly Fiorina and replaced her with CFO Robert Wayman as interim chief executive....

Musicland Group Inc.(People In The News)(Sonya Askew promoted as director)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Musicland Group Inc. has promoted Sonya Askew to director of urban products....

Forest City Enterprises.(People In The News)(E. Kemel Blue appointed as regional vice president)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Forest City Enterprises named E. Kemel Blue regional VP and general manager of its Forest City West Division. Blue will be responsible for opening and managing Forest City's commercial properties in the Denver area....

CB Richard Ellis.(People In The News)(John Werstler and Darren Pitts promoted as vice presidents)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... CB Richard Ellis promoted John Werstler and Darren Pitts to senior VP....

VeriFone Inc.(People In The News)(Robert B. Henke appointed to boards of directors)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Robert B. Henke was named to the board of directors of VeriFone Inc. He is the senior VP of finance and administration of Intuit Inc....

Schneider National.(People In The News)(Dan Van Alstine appointed as sales vice president)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Schneider National has appointed Dan Van Alstine senior VP of sales. He most recently served as an area VP for Schneider.

On-line holiday sales up 22%, study says.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... A JupiterResearch study of on-line holiday spending in 2004 found an increase of 22% compared to the 2003 holiday period. The increase was driven largely by an influx of new on-line buyers: 17.7 million consumers made an on-line holiday...

Unionized Canadian Wal-Mart to close.(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores plans to shutter a location in Jonquiere, Quebec, this May because the retail giant believes demands from the store's union negotiators would make business too difficult, the retailer says. Wal-Mart said the store is an...

Accounting woes at Wet Seal, Big 5.(The Wet Seal Inc., Big 5 Sporting Goods Corp.)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has opened an informal inquiry into struggling teen apparel retailer Wet Seal Inc. related to the company's 2004 second-quarter earnings results (the company posted a $102.8 million loss for the...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Guitar Center Inc. acquires Music & Arts Center)(Brief Article)
February 11, 2005... Guitar Center, Inc. will acquire Frederick, Md.-based Music & Arts Center, a privately held musical instruments retailer that targets the beginner musician. Guitar Center will pay approximately $90 million and assume an estimated $8 million in...

New stores, new markets.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Office Depot is opening its second location in downtown Baltimore, on the first floor of the Charles Center building on Charles Street. It should be open by late spring, and is part of the company's plan to open 40 new stores in the...

Circuit city tightens its belt, considers $3.25b takeover bid.(Circuit City Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Nineteen Circuit City consumer-electronics stores are busily promoting going-out-of-business sales. The day after receiving a $3.25 billion takeover bid, Circuit City announced plans to close 19 stores, five regional offices and a distribution...

Forever 21 pays $33m for Gadzooks.(Forever 21 Inc)(Titan Enterprises Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Gadzooks' year-long journey through bankruptcy protection came to a conclusion Thursday, when Forever 21 agreed to acquire the 243 Gadzooks stores for about $33 million. The deal was struck through a bankruptcy court-sanctioned auction, and the...

Officemax's latest blow: Ceo resigns.(Christopher Milliken)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... For the third time this year, OfficeMax Corp. has lost a high-level executive. CEO Christopher Milliken resigned as the chain terminated two more employees as a result of an ongoing internal investigation into its accounting. OfficeMax...

Ultimate Electronics named Mark Wattles, former chief executive at Hollywood Entertainment, as the company's CEO.(People In The News)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Ultimate Electronics named Mark Wattles, former chief executive at Hollywood Entertainment, as the company's CEO. Gone from Ultimate Electronics are David Workman, CEO; Neal Bobrick, senior VP of sales; and Gerry Demple, senior VP of services....

AnnTaylor Stores Corp. hired Muriel Gonzalez as executive VP, chief marketing officer.(People In The News)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... AnnTaylor Stores Corp. hired Muriel Gonzalez as executive VP, chief marketing officer. She joins AnnTaylor from Bergdorf Goodman, where she was senior VP and general merchandise manager....

Rite Aid Corp.(People In The News)(Franklin C. Brown )(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Former Rite Aid Corp. vice chairman Franklin C. Brown will begin serving a 10-year federal criminal sentence March 1 for his role in the drug store chain's financial scandal....

Rag Shops.(People In The News)(Ron Staffieri appointed as chief executive officer)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Rag Shops appointed Ron Staffieri as its CEO. Most recently, he was president of Michaels Stores. He had also served as president of Waldenbooks, a division of Borders Group; president of Things Remembered; and president and CEO of KB Toys....

Circuit City Stores.(People In The News)(Philip J. Schoonover promoted to president)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... At Circuit City Stores, Philip J. Schoonover, previously executive VP and chief merchandising officer, was named president, effective immediately. W. Alan McCollough, who previously held the titles of chairman, president and CEO, will continue...

At J.C. Penney, a merchandise makeover.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... In the first big merchandising program since J.C. Penney hired Myron Ullman as CEO in October, J.C. Penney Co. will launch two casual, moderately priced clothing lines aimed at mid-income women aged 35 to 54. The nicole by Nicole Miller line,...

As Wal-Mart settles, critics react.(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores agreed to pay $135,540 to settle federal charges that it violated child labor laws in three states: Connecticut, New Hampshire and Arkansas. The company denied the allegations that teenage workers violated laws by using...

Friedman's seeks approval to cut back.(Friedman's Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Friedman's Inc. will seek the Bankruptcy Court's approval in its Chapter 11 reorganization to close up to 165 underperforming stores in 17 states, and sell in excess of $25 million of inventory through a court-approved disposition process. The...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Brief Article)
February 18, 2005... Expansion plans for the Mall of America, expected to cost more than $1 billion, were presented to the public and to the City of Bloomington, Minn. The proposed additions would double the size of the mall and include a casino, themed hotel...

New stores, new markets.(Cato Corp., Electronics Boutique Holdings Inc., and Virgin Megastores opened new stores)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... A new flagship Virgin Megastore will open on Los Angeles' Hollywood Boulevard this fall, marking the company's 250th store worldwide.... A new bazaar was opened recently by the Army & Air Force Exchange at Camp Liberty in Iraq. It houses more...

Winn-Dixie files for bankruptcy, looks for ways to cut expenses.(Winn-Dixie Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... Supermarket operator Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. and 23 of its U.S. subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The move had been widely expected since Feb. 10, when the grocer reported a...

Federated, May could merge after all.
February 25, 2005... Federated Department Stores and May Department Stores Co. resumed merger discussions via phone this week, reports say. Negotiations picked up again days after they broke down, when the two retail stalwarts failed to agree on a purchase price...

SEC clarification prompts restatements.(financial reports, accounting standards)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... A clarification of standard accounting practices issued by the Securities & Exchange Commission early this month prompted a string of earnings restatements as retailers scramble to clean up their books. The clarficiation pertained to the way in...

Executive shuffling for the Kmart-Sears merger is under way: Sears' CFO Glenn Richter, who has been expected to become CFO of the combined company, will leave after the merger is complete.(People In The News)(Kmart Holding Corp. and Sears, Roebuck and Co.)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... Executive shuffling for the Kmart-Sears merger is under way: Sears' CFO Glenn Richter, who has been expected to become CFO of the combined company, will leave after the merger is complete. William Crowley, a senior VP of finance and board...

Lowe's Cos.(People In The News)(Maureen K. Ausura appointed at Lowe's Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... Lowe's Cos. has hired Maureen K. Ausura as senior VP of human resources. Her last post was corporate VP of human resources at Archer Daniels Midland Co. Her work experience also includes four years as senior VP of human resources for Giant...

Pacific Sunwear.(People In The News)(Lou Ann Bett appointed)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... Lou Ann Bett will become president of Pacific Sunwear's d.e.m.o division as of May 1. Bett most recently served with Limited Corp. as VP and general merchandise manager of Express Men's.

RYA Design Consultancy.(People In The News)(Christopher Barriscale appointed)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... Christopher Barriscale has joined RYA Design Consultancy as partner and managing director of its San Francisco office. He joins the company from Fitch: Worldwide.

ShopperTrak RCT Corp.(People In The News)(Matthew Reidel appointed)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... ShopperTrak RCT Corp. has appointed Matthew Reidel to the post of VP of operations. He most recently served as assistant VP of operations for online education company UNext.

Westwood Contractors.(People In The News)(Paul Studebaker and Mike McBride appointed)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... Westwood Contractors named Paul Studebaker to the newly created position of VP of marketing, and Mike McBride as executive VP and COO.

NRF's Mullin named as presidential adviser.(National Retail Federation's Tracy Mullin appointed to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations )(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... President Bush has appointed National Retail Federation president and CEO Tracy Mullin to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN). The White House's ACTPN is a private-sector advisory panel on international trade that...

Spiegel pulls plug on Eddie Bauer home.(store closures )(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... The Spiegel Group says it will close all 34 of its Eddie Bauer Home stores in the second half of this year. The closures are part of Spiegel's bankruptcy reorganization plan, which focuses on the retailer's profitable Eddie Bauer division. The...

Wal-Mart repelled in Queens, beaten in court.(child labor investigations and employment discrimination charges for Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... It's been a tough week for Wal-Mart. Vornado Realty Trust dropped plans to include a Wal-Mart in New York City's borough of Queens, reports say. The store, proposed for the Rego Park section of the city, would have been New York City's first...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Nash Finch Co. to buy retail stores from Roundy's Inc., Macy's introduced interactive fashion website, Kmart Holding Corp. and Sears, Roebuck and Co.'s investor meeting on merger.)(Brief Article)
February 25, 2005... Nash Finch Co. plans to buy two distribution centers and two Ohio retail stores from Roundy's. The deal is valued at $225 million. The DCs are located in Westville, Ind., and Lima, Ohio.... Macy's has launched THISIT.com, a new interactive Web...