Chain Store Age Executive Fax articles from January 2005

Chain Store Age Executive Fax archives from January 2005

New stores, new markets.(Best Buy Company Inc., Levitz Furniture Corp., Movie Gallery Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... Bible Factory Outlet opened a store in Starkville, Miss., bringing the chain's total store count to 71.... Movie Gallery opened its 200th store in Canada. The new store is located in Summerside on Prince Edward Island.... Best Buy reportedly...

Better-late-than-never season: December posts modest gains.
January 7, 2005... The November-December holiday sales season disappointed retailers with an industrywide 2.3% comp-store gain, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers' tally. That compares to a 4.0% increase in 2003. But thanks to last-minute...

Penn Traffic Co.(People In The News)(Robert B. Dimond appointed)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... Penn Traffic Co. named Robert B. Dimond executive VP and CFO, subject to approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Dimond was previously executive VP, CFO and treasurer for Nash Finch, Minneapolis....

J.C. Penney Co.(People In The News)(Ken Hicks promoted)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... J.C. Penney Co. promoted Ken Hicks to the position of president and chief merchandising officer, the company's No. 2. executive slot. He was president of Payless ShoeSource before joining J.C. Penney in 2002....

OfficeMax.(People In The News)(Gary Peterson resigned )(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... Gary Peterson resigned as president of OfficeMax's retail division. The move is unrelated to the company's current investigation into allegations of improper vendor payments, the company said....

Best Buy.(People In The News)(Tom Healy promoted)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... Best Buy promoted Tom Healy to executive VP, Best Buy For Business, a new position in the company's recently formed customer business group. Healy joined Best Buy in 1990 and previously was in charge of Best Buy International....

Office Depot.(People In The News)(Monica Luechtefeld promoted)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... Office Depot promoted Monica Luechtefeld, formerly executive VP of global e-commerce, to the post of executive VP of strategy and development....

Delhaize Group.(People In The News)(Georges Jacobs appointed )(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... Delhaize Group appointed Georges Jacobs chairman of the board. Jacobs, chairman of Belgian pharmaceutical concern UCB Group, succeeds the retiring Gui de Vaucleroy....

SuperValu.(People In The News)(Roger Davidson appointed)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... SuperValu named former H.E. Butt executive Roger Davidson to the new position of corporate senior VP and COO of its Retail Food Companies division.

Struggling Wet Seal makes major cuts.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... Struggling teen fashion retailer The Wet Seal plans to close about 150 underperforming stores and lay off about 2,000 employees as part of a major restructuring plan. The retailer has appointed a third-party liquidator to manage the inventory...

Mixed reviews for Wal-Mart's RFID plan.(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... Many of Wal-Mart's top suppliers still are working to meet the chain's mandated January deadline to bring radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags to cases and pallets going to three Texas distribution centers. Wal-Mart says the 137...

BI-LO and Bruno's under new ownership.(Bruno's Supermarkets)(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... Ahold USA is selling its BI-LO and Bruno's chains to private-investment firm Lone Star Funds for total cash proceeds of up to $660 million. The two divisions are among the leading grocery chains in the Southeast and operate some 455 stores in...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Home Depot of Canada Inc. acquire Litemor Distributors)(Penn Traffic Co. closing its 5 distribution centers )(Brief Article)
January 7, 2005... Home Depot Canada agreed to acquire Litemor Distributors, Canada's largest national commercial lighting distributor.... Penn Traffic Co. is disposing of five warehouse distribution centers as part of its efforts to emerge from bankruptcy...

Lowe's Cos.(New Stores, New Markets)(Lowe's Companies Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Lowe's Cos. plans a quintet of new store locations. The Mooresville, N.C.-based chain is planning stores for Pittsburgh; Roeland Park, Kan.; Deland, Fla.; Riverview, Fla.; and Manitowoc, Wis.

Stater Bros. Markets.(New Stores, New Markets)(Stater Brothers Markets Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Stater Bros. Markets opened a 44,000- sq.-ft. supermarket at Bear Creek Village Center in Wildomar, Calif.

Mollie Stone's Markets.(New Stores, New Markets)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Mollie Stone's Markets opened its eighth San Francisco Bay area store at the site of the former Tower Market on Portola Drive in San Francisco.

Family Dollar.(New Stores, New Markets)(Family Dollar Stores Inc. opens in Macon, Georgia)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Family Dollar opened in Macon, Ga., off Jeffersonville Road.

Wild Oats Markets.(New Stores, New Markets)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Wild Oats Markets opened on Raintree Drive in Scottsdale, Ariz.

May Department Stores Co.(New Stores, New Markets)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... May Department Stores Co. opened a Filene's store in Dartmouth, Mass.; a Foley's store in Houston; and a location for The Jones Store in Kansas City, Kan. The openings fulfilled the chain's goal to open eight department stores in fiscal 2004.

Longs Drug Store.(New Stores, New Markets)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Longs Drug Store has signed a letter of intent to open a 15,000-sq.-ft. store in the San Gabriel, Calif., business district.

Barnes & Noble.(New Stores, New Markets)(barnesandnoble.com Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Barnes & Noble opened a 25,000-sq.-ft. bookstore in the Shoppes at Blackstone Valley in Millbury, Mass. The store will include a cafe serving Starbucks coffee.

RONA Inc.(New Stores, New Markets)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... RONA Inc. opened two stores, in Saskatchewan: a warehouse store in Regina, and a 40,000-sq.-ft. neighborhood hardware store in Prince Albert.

Movie gallery wins bidding war for Hollywood Entertainment.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... The fierce bidding war for Hollywood Entertainment Corp. is over, and Movie Gallery came out on top. The Dothan, Ala.-based video-rental chain agreed to take over Hollywood Entertainment in a deal valued at $850 million in cash plus the...

Holiday sales strongest since 1999.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... The holidays finished strong, according to new figures from the National Retail Federation (NRF). The retail-industry trade association says combined November and December sales grew 5.7% over the same period in 2003. The numbers include sales...

Wal-Mart Stores picks new COO.(Eduardo Castro-Wright)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores Inc. tapped Eduardo Castro-Wright to be executive VP and COO of its Wal-Mart Stores division, effective Feb. 25. Castro-Wright currently holds the posts of president and CEO of Wal-Mart Mexico. Before joining Wal-Mart Mexico,...

Ultimate Electronics files chapter 11.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... After months of struggle, Ultimate Electronics filed for bankruptcy protection and began a restructuring initiative. The restructuring began with the resignation of the company's entire board of directors, and the appointment of Mark Wattles as...

Brian Anderson resigned from the CFO position of OfficeMax after holding the post for only two months.(People In The News)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Brian Anderson resigned from the CFO position of OfficeMax after holding the post for only two months. Former CFO Ted Crumley will fill the post on an interim basis until a permanent successor is found. In a separate development, the company...

Dollar General.(People In The News)(Bruce Ash appointed)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Dollar General promoted Bruce Ash to senior VP and CIO. He was formerly VP of information and administrative services.

The National Retail Federation.(People In The News)(Joseph LaRocca appointed )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... The National Retail Federation appointed Joseph LaRocca VP of loss prevention. He has 18 years of loss-prevention experience, most recently with The Disney Store Inc. where he served as director of loss prevention.

Best Buy Co.(People In The News)(Daniel E. Currie appointed)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Best Buy Co. picked Daniel E. Currie to be its senior VP of global supply chain. He joins the retailer from Ahold USA, where he served as executive VP of supply chain and logistics.

Ann Taylor Stores Corp.(People In The News)(Jerome Jessup resigns )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Jerome Jessup resigned as the senior executive VP of merchandise and design for Ann Taylor Stores Corp.

RedEnvelope Inc.(People In The News)(Ed Schmults promoted, Gary Korotzer appointed)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Gift e-retailer RedEnvelope Inc. promoted Ed Schmults to COO from senior VP of operations. RedEnvelope also named Gary Korotzer to the post of VP of marketing. He joins the company from Charles Schwab & Co., where he served as senior VP of mass...

Game Crazy.(People In The News)(David Smith appointed)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Wilsonville, Ore.-based Game Crazy tapped David Smith to be VP of marketing, effective Jan. 17.

Radioshack, big lots lose CEOs.(Leonard Roberts, Michael Potter )(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Leonard Roberts announced this week that he will relinquish the post of CEO of RadioShack Corp. Roberts will continue to serve as executive chairman of the electronics retailer. RadioShack already has announced a successor: Dave Edmondson,...

BI-LO taps partner, consolidates offices.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Following Ahold USA's sale of BI-LO Holdings LLC to a private-investment firm last week, the Southeastern regional grocer announced a repositioning plan that hinges upon distribution outsourcing and administrative consolidation. BI-LO tapped...

Wal-Mart faces critics in Queens.(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Wal-Mart's plans to build a store in the Rego Park neighborhood of the New York City borough of Queens ran into opposition from local advocates. A coalition of labor leaders, small businesses and elected officials gathered at Queens City Hall...

The Finish Line agreed to buy The Hang Up Shoppes Inc., which operates the hip-hop fashion chain Man Alive.(This Week's Retail News Nuggets)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... The Finish Line agreed to buy The Hang Up Shoppes Inc., which operates the hip-hop fashion chain Man Alive. The deal is worth $12 million cash.

A worker lawsuit filed against Starbucks Corp.(This Week's Retail News Nuggets)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... A worker lawsuit filed against Starbucks Corp. in Broward County, Fla., may expand. The judge in the case granted the plaintiffs permission to invite other workers to join the case. The plaintiffs allege they were denied overtime pay.

Tesco.(This Week's Retail News Nuggets)(contracts between ADT Ltd. and Tesco PLC)(Brief Article)
January 14, 2005... Tesco ordered 4,000 RFID scanners from Boca Raton, Fla.-based ADT.

New stores, new markets.(Fresh Market Inc. expands into Carmel, Indiana)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... Privately held food chain Fresh Market is expanding into the Hoosier state, opening a new location in the affluent Indianapolis suburb of Carmel, Ind.... Gottschalks Inc. has signed a lease to open a 44,000-sq.-ft. store in Heritage Mall,...

With Kahn's sudden departure, May Co.'s future is up in the Air.(Gene Kahn )(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... The abrupt resignation of Gene Kahn as chairman and CEO of The May Department Stores Co. set off almost instantaneous speculation that the St. Louis-based company, which acquired Marshall Field's last year, was on the cusp of another big deal....

Second Canadian Wal-Mart goes union.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... In Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, a majority of the more than 200 employees of a Wal-Mart store signed union cards with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada and were certified as a bargaining unit by the Quebec Labour Relations...

Walgreen continues to accept Amex.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... Drug store giant Walgreen Co. reversed a December decision and abandoned a plan to stop accepting American Express cards in its stores. Walgreen said it reached a new, long-term agreement that will be "mutually beneficial" to Walgreen and...

Stephen Gordon, the founder and chairman of Restoration Hardware.(People in the News)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... Stephen Gordon, the founder and chairman of Restoration Hardware, resigned to become CEO of Sundance Catalog Co., Salt Lake City, the retail division of the brand headed by actor Robert Redford....

Meijer.(People in the News)(Mark Murray elected to the board)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... Meijer elected Mark Murray, president of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich., to the company's board of directors....

Foot Locker.(People in the News)(Foot Locker Inc. U.S.A. promoted Nick Grayston)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... Foot Locker promoted Nick Grayston, CEO of the Lady Foot Locker unit, to CEO of its Foot Locker U.S. division....

Cumberland Farms.(People in the News)(Stephen Winslow appointed )(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... Cumberland Farms appointed Stephen Winslow to senior VP and chief financial officer. Winslow most recently served as senior VP and CFO for the U.S. Toy Group at Hasbro.

Looking forward.(National Retail Federation forecasts)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... The National Retail Federation (NRF) released its 2005 forecast, predicting that consumers will prop up the economy again this year, though they could eventually become tapped out. The NRF estimated that GAFS sales would increase 3.5% from last...

Limited unveils triple-play approach.(Limited Brands Inc.)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... Limited Brands shuffled its leadership team to create three business groups--lingerie; beauty and personal care; and apparel--with each group led by a president who will provide oversight for the brand and its products across all distribution...

Retailers follow law of supply chain.(surveys)(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... The topic of supply chain efficiency took the top spot in a survey of retailers asked to identify their leading competitive focus of 2005. The NRF Foundation and BearingPoint, Inc. unveiled the results at the NRF Annual Convention in New York....

Friedman's files for chapter 11.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... Jewelry retailer Friedman's filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 on behalf of the company and nine of its subsidiaries. The company said the filing should provide it with the breathing room necessary to complete...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Brief Article)
January 21, 2005... The Home Depot said it plans to add 175 new stores during 2005 and to continue its investment in store modernization and technology through a $3.7 billion capital-spending plan.... Federated Department Stores' Macy's East division settled New...

New stores, new markets.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... Women's retailer Searle opened a three-level, 12,000-sq.-ft. store in Manhattan. The store is the company's largest in Manhattan, and its fifth store on one 26-block stretch of Madison Avenue.... Downtown Locker Room will open 10 new stores in...

Crisis averted in California: grocers reach deal with unions.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... The big three grocers took a major step in their effort to avoid in San Francisco the kind of labor problems that cost them dearly in Los Angeles in late 2003 and early 2004. Safeway, Kroger and Albertson's reached tentative collective...

Wal-Mart discovers credit strategy.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... The world's largest retailer beefed up its already hefty presence in the financial service arena. Wal-Mart Stores and Discover Financial Services will launch a co-branded credit card, available to consumers in March. The Wal-Mart Discover card,...

Report: cupid aims arrow at shoppers.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... A solid Valentine's Day shopping season will take some of the sting out of a Christmas season that was lackluster for some retailers, according to new research from Unity Marketing. The Stevens, Pa.-based research firm expects Valentine's Day...

Lowe's Cos.(People In The News)(appoints Robert Niblock as new CEO)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... Today marks the end of the Robert Tillman era at Lowe's Cos. Tillman, 61, will step down as chairman and CEO of the country's second-largest home-improvement chain. Following a plan announced earlier this year, the 41-year Lowe's veteran will...

Ahold USA president and CEO William Grize and Stater Bros. Markets chairman and CEO Jack Brown received the 2005 Sidney R. Rabb Award, from the Food Marketing Institute.(People In The News)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... Ahold USA president and CEO William Grize and Stater Bros. Markets chairman and CEO Jack Brown received the 2005 Sidney R. Rabb Award, from the Food Marketing Institute. The award recognizes service to the community and to the industry....

Borders Group Inc.(People In The News)(appointed Richard Chilcott as senior vice president )(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... Borders Group Inc. has appointed Richard Chilcott senior VP of Paperchase U.S. Chilcott will be responsible for execution of the Paperchase brand in Borders' U.S. stores. Borders acquired the 70-store U.K. stationery retailer last July....

SmartBargains.(People In The News)(appointed James Held as chairman )(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... SmartBargains, an on-line retailer, appointed James Held chairman of the board and acting CEO, replacing previous CEO Carl Rosendorm, who will continue as director and advisor to the company. From 1995 to 2000, Held served as CEO of Home...

Jo-Ann Stores.(People In The News)(appointed David Holmberg as executive vice president)(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... Jo-Ann Stores named David Holmberg executive VP, store operations.... Meijer promoted Terry Griffith to the post of divisional VP of merchandising. He was divisional VP of hardlines. The chain also promoted Nat Love from director of...

Gadzooks climbs onto the auction block.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... Gadzooks Inc. has launched plan B. The teen apparel chain will give up its efforts to reorganize under bankruptcy protection and will sell off its assets, including its 243 store leases in 40 states. The Carrollton, Texas-based company said the...

Kaufmann's settles 'sale-price' probe.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... Kaufmann's, a division of May Department Stores, agreed to pay $400,000 to end an investigation involving charges of false sales promotions, according to the New York Attorney General's office. The chain was accused of promoting products at...

Dollar General builds on food format.(Brief Article)
January 28, 2005... Dollar General plans to open at least 30 of its Dollar General Market concept stores, which feature a broader selection of groceries than its traditional units, in several markets this year, according to a report in the Dallas Business Journal....

This week's retail news nuggets.
January 28, 2005... Convenience store giant 7-Eleven plans to build another 500 stores in Mexico over the next five years, growing to a total of 1,000 outlets. 7-Eleven Mexico opened 72 stores last year. The company is a joint venture between Dallas-based 7-Eleven...