Chain Store Age Executive Fax articles from October 2005

Chain Store Age Executive Fax archives from October 2005

New stores, new markets.(D-Ellegance Furniture opens store in California)(Babies "R" Us opens a store in New York City)(J.C. Penney Corporation Inc. plans for a new store in Texas)(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... D-Ellegance Furniture of Northridge is opening an Irvine, Calif., location--8,194 sq. ft. in Huntington Beach Town & Country Shopping Center. The new furniture store is slated to open March 2006.... Babies "R" Us is opening a 30,000-sq.-ft....

Guess who's coming to the table? Kroger might buy Albertson's.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Analysts call it a long shot, but Cincinnati-based The Kroger Co. appears to be in the running to acquire Boise, Idaho-based Albertson's. Kroger has declined to comment on the matter, but reports are circulating that Kroger, the No. 1...

Wal-Mart adjusts health care and energy.(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s investments)(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores led all retailers in headlines this week by announcing sweeping changes to its health-care plan and energy-conservation strategy. The new health plan for associates features cheaper monthly premiums as well as the opportunity...

Florida business awakens from hurricane.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Overshadowed by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, Wilma was able to break at least one all-time storm record: Hurricane Wilma inflicted more damage on Florida's power system than any storm in history--some 3.2 million customers lost power. Store...

Musicland Holding Corp. named Jack Chadsey, 57, as chairman and CEO of the $1.2 billion, 900-store chain.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Musicland Holding Corp. named Jack Chadsey, 57, as chairman and CEO of the $1.2 billion, 900-store chain. Chadsey's retail career spans 35 years. He has held senior executive positions with several national retailers, including May Department...

Wal-Mart Stores named Wan Ling Martello as CFO for its international operations.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
October 28, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores named Wan Ling Martello as CFO for its international operations. Martello was previously an executive with NCH Marketing Services Inc. Prior to NCH, Martello was corporate controller for Borden Foods when owned by Kohlberg...

Appliance retailer Gregg Appliances named Don Van der Wiel to the position of CFO effective Oct. 31.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Appliance retailer Gregg Appliances named Don Van der Wiel to the position of CFO effective Oct. 31. Van der Wiel will be replacing Michael D. Stout, who has been promoted to chief administrative officer, also effective Oct. 31. Since 2004,...

Big Lots.(Robert C. Claxton appointed)(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Big Lots appointed Robert C. Claxton as senior VP of marketing. He will report to CEO Steve Fishman....

AutoZone Inc.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(appointment of Harry Goldsmith )(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... AutoZone Inc. promoted Harry Goldsmith to executive VP, general counsel and secretary. He was formerly senior VP, general counsel and secretary. Tim Briggs was promoted to senior VP of human resources from VP of human resources....

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) appointed Ken Brame, chief information officer, AutoZone, as chairman of the Technology Leaders Council.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)
October 28, 2005... The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) appointed Ken Brame, chief information officer, AutoZone, as chairman of the Technology Leaders Council. Ken Kaiser, VP, corporate systems development, Target Corp., was elected vice chairman.

Circle K Stores ropes 26 Memphis outlets.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Canada's largest convenience-store operator continues to expand in the United States. Circle K Stores, a division of Montreal-based Alimentation Couche-Tard, agreed to purchase 26 Tennessee stores in the Memphis region from BP Products North...

Movie Gallery plans workforce reductions.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... The merger is over, but the consolidation continues. Movie Gallery intends to eliminate the jobs of about 10% of its salaried and administrative office staff over the next 12 months. The move is described as a cost-containment effort in the...

Late fees are back at some blockbuster stores.(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Late fees are being reinstated at 17 Blockbuster franchises owned by Capitol Entertainment. The northern Virginia franchisor is going against the company's highly publicized--and frequently criticized--no-late-fee policy introduced in...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Sears Holdings Corp. begans sales promotions)(Walgreen Co. opens 5,000th store)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to add more retail space)(Brief Article)
October 28, 2005... Sears Holdings Corp. began promoting its Sears Card inside Kmart stores, where shoppers can apply for the card.... Walgreen Co. celebrated a major milestone with the opening of its 5,000th store, in Richmond, Va.... Wal-Mart Stores expects...

New stores, new markets.(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... J.C. Penney, Circuit City and Linens 'n Things are among the retailers at the newly opened Southaven Towne Center in Southaven, Miss. The CBL & Associates Properties open-air mall is located near Memphis, Tenn.... Anthropologie has completed...

SuperValu's health-food approach: Sunflower Market coming to Indy.(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... More Americans are going natural in their food-purchasing habits. SuperValu is responding by going natural with them. Sunflower Market is the name of a value-priced natural-and-organic-foods format soon to be debuted by SuperValu. The first...

Walgreen acquires Medic Drugstores.
October 21, 2005... It's the end of the road for Mayfield Village, Ohio-based Medic Discount Drugstores. The 23-store Medic chain will be acquired by industry giant Walgreen Co., which will convert eight of the stores to the Walgreens banner. The other 15...

ShopKo stores gets new owner: Sun Capital.(Sun Capital Partners may acquire ShopKo Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... Sun Capital Partners appears to be the winner in its bidding war against Goldner Hawn Johnson & Morrison to acquire ShopKo Stores Inc. ShopKo said it agreed to be acquired by a Sun Capital affiliate for $29 per share, an offer which values...

Sears Holdings Corp. president and chief merchant Luis Padilla is leaving the company for undisclosed reasons, effective Oct. 31.(Maureen McGuire and Corwin Yulinsky appointed)(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... Sears Holdings Corp. president and chief merchant Luis Padilla is leaving the company for undisclosed reasons, effective Oct. 31. Padilla, 51, joined Sears from Target Corp. about a year ago. On the same day, Sears announced Maureen McGuire...

Dollar General.(Cal Turner Jr. to retire)(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... Cal Turner Jr. is retiring as advisor to Dollar General's board of directors at the end of October. Turner is the former CEO and chairman of the company.

The J. Jill Group.(Lisa Bayne appointed)(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... The J. Jill Group appointed Lisa Bayne to the position of executive VP and chief marketing officer, effective Oct. 31. Bayne, who will be responsible for marketing, creative and production services, joins J. Jill from Gymboree, where she was...

AutoZone.(Bob Olsen promoted)(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... AutoZone promoted Bob Olsen to executive VP of supply chain, IT, Mexico and store development. He was previously senior VP of Mexico and store development.

Federated Department Stores.(William P. McNamara and Brian L. Keck appointed)(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... Federated Department Stores appointed William P. McNamara as chairman and CEO, effective immediately, for its St. Louis-based Famous-Barr division. Brian L. Keck has been named president and COO of the division, which will become Macy's...

Trans World Entertainment Corp.(James A. Litwak appointed)(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... Trans World Entertainment Corp. named James A. Litwak president and COO. He was most recently senior VP of Columbia House.

Holiday spending spirit seen in October.(survey report)(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... Will high energy prices turn into a Grinch capable of stealing Christmas? Not according to the latest consumer survey from the National Retail Federation. The average consumer will spend $738.11 this holiday season, that's 5.1% more than last...

Safeway closing stores in Texas.
October 21, 2005... Randalls/Tom Thumb plans to close 26 Texas stores as part of a cost-cutting and market repositioning move. The Houston-based unit of the Safeway supermarket chain is shutting 16 Randalls stores in the Houston area, nine in the Dallas/Fort...

Wal-Mart presents upbeat assessment of RFID.(radio-frequency identification)(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores released statistics showing the benefits of radio-frequency identification (RFID) and the electronic product code (EPC). Researchers found a 16% reduction in out-of-stocks at stores equipped with RFID technology. Additionally,...

This week's retail news nuggets.(American Eagle Outfitters Inc. unveiled new casual sportswear format, Food Lion L.L.C to open new store, Kroger Co. negotiated with labor union)(Brief Article)
October 21, 2005... American Eagle Outfitters unveiled the name of its new casual sportswear format: Martin + Osa. The concept will target men and women aged 25 to 40 when it debuts in the fall of 2006.... Food Lion has announced it will open the third of its...

New stores, new markets.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores is looking to open a 200,000-sq.-ft. store in Middletown, Ky., by next summer.... Gordmans is the latest retailer to be included in the Southaven Towne Center near Memphis, Tenn. The apparel retailer's 59,000-sq.-ft. store...

Albertson's inches closer to sale, entertains three bidding groups.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Albertson's appears increasingly more serious about a sale as it hosted three would-be acquisition groups at its Boise, Idaho, headquarters this week. The three groups are: an alliance of N.Y.C.-based Warburg Pincus and Thomas H. Lee Partners...

Boots, alliance form Europe's top pharmacy.(Boots Healthcare International)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... British health and beauty retailer Boots and pharmacy chain Alliance Unichem have announced plans to merge into Europe's biggest drug store chain. The new group, to be dubbed Alliance Boots, will employ approximately 100,000 staff in nearly...

Competing offer emerges for Goody's.(Goody's Family Clothing Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Sun Capital Partners' agreement to acquire Knoxville, Tenn.-based Goody's Family Clothing may not go ahead after all, if GMM Capital LLC and Prentice Capital Management LLC have anything to say about it. The two investment firms, which both...

Rite Aid Corp.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(promoted James Mastrian)(appointed Mark Panzer and Mark de Bruin)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Rite Aid Corp. promoted James Mastrian to the company's new chief operating officer. Mastrian had been the pharmacy chain's executive VP of marketing, logistics and pharmacy services since November 2002. Rite Aid also named Mark Panzer chief...

Burberry.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(named Angela Ahrendts)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Burberry named Angela Ahrendts as its new chief executive. Ahrendts, currently executive VP at Liz Claiborne, will begin her new role on July 1, 2006.

Sears, Roebuck and Co.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(promoted Steve Titus)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Sears, Roebuck and Co., a subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corp., promoted Steve Titus to VP and general manager of Sears Dealer Stores. The move is effective immediately.

Farmer Jack.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(Mike Carter resigned from Farmer Jack Supermarkets)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Farmer Jack president Mike Carter resigned from his post after three years as the head of the Detroit grocery chain.

Gap Inc.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(named Charlotte Neuville)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Gap Inc. named Charlotte Neuville as executive VP of design and product development. Neuville joins Gap after nine years at New York & Co.

Price Chopper Supermarkets named Richard Bauer chief information officer.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Price Chopper Supermarkets named Richard Bauer chief information officer. Bauer most recently was chief technical officer at The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. (A&P). Bauer succeeds Tom Nowak, who is retiring, the company said.

George Davies, the retailing entrepreneur who created the "George" line for Asda and most recently founded and ran the Per Una fashion business.(PEOPLE IN THE NEWS)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... George Davies, the retailing entrepreneur who created the "George" line for Asda and most recently founded and ran the Per Una fashion business for the U.K.-based clothing retailer Marks & Spencer, has resigned from the company because of...

Feds drop investigation of ex-Kmart bigwigs.(Kmart Holding Corp.)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Federal prosecutors in Detroit have decided not charge former executives of Kmart Corp. for their roles in events leading up to the discount retailer's 2002 bankruptcy, the Detroit News reported on Tuesday. The newspaper said that the...

Coughlin seeks dismissal of Wal-Mart suit.(Tom Coughlin)(Wal-Mart Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... A lawyer for former Wal-Mart Stores Inc. vice chairman Tom Coughlin argued Tuesday for the dismissal of a lawsuit by the retailer, saying his client and Wal-Mart had a mutual agreement exempting Coughlin from any punitive action from Wal-Mart...

Big Lots closes stores, scales back expansion.(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Big Lots said it will shutter 85 close-out merchandise stores and 41 of its furniture stores. The news comes after Big Lots already made public plans to close 40 stores this year. The company will spend up to $28 million to mark down...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Sears Holdings Corp)(Target Corp)(Wal-Mart Stores )(Brief Article)
October 14, 2005... Sears Holdings Corp. said that Ares Management LLC, a Los Angeles-based private equity fund, will spend $58.7 million in cash for a 19.9% stake in Sears' Orchard Supply Hardware Stores chain. The deal is expected to close in the fourth...

New stores, new markets.(Bulgari S.p.A., Williams-Sonoma Stores L.L.C., Circuit City Stores Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Bvlgari opened a 2,731-sq.-ft. store in Honolulu's Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.... Williams-Sonoma opened the first Williams-Sonoma Home store in West Hollywood, Calif. The 18,500-sq.-ft store will concentrate on home furnishings.......

Riding out the storm: chains post stronger-than-expected sales.
October 7, 2005... Despite concerns over consumer confidence and post-hurricane malaise, retail sales measured higher than expected last month. September chain-store sales posted a moderate 4.0% increase compared with the same month of the prior year, according...

Target Corp.(Gerald Storch resigned)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... In a sudden move and with no published explanation, Target Corp. vice chairman Gerald Storch has left the company. Viewed as a possible successor to CEO Robert Ulrich, Storch has given no public reason for his departure. In a statement...

Wal-Mart Stores.(Mike Duke and John Menzer promoted)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Wal-Mart Stores promoted two top executives to vice chairmen positions but will switch their areas of oversight. Mike Duke, head of Wal-Mart's domestic stores, will lead the company's international division. John Menzer, chief of the...

The TJX Cos.(Carol Meyrowitz appointed)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... The TJX Cos. named Carol Meyrowitz, 51, president, effective Oct. 17. Meyrowitz previously served as senior executive VP of TJX and president of The Marmaxx Group, the company's largest division....

Saks Inc.(Michael Archbold appointed)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Saks Inc. named Michael Archbold, the former CFO of AutoZone, as chief financial and administrative officer of its Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises business segment....

DollarDays International.(Marc Joseph and Martin Lakin promoted )(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... DollarDays International promoted Marc Joseph to CEO. Joseph has been DollarDays' COO since the company was founded in 2001. Martin Lakin, who has served as DollarDays' senior director of sales and marketing for three years, moves up to...

Musicland Holding Corp.(Jack Chadsey appointed)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Musicland Holding Corp. named Jack Chadsey as chairman and CEO....

Peet.(Peet Brothers Co. named Christine Lansing)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Peet's named former Hershey executive Christine Lansing as its chief marketing officer.

Goody's family clothing sold for $273 million.(Sun Capital Partners Inc. acquired)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... In a move that will take CEO Robert Goodfriend out of the business founded by his father in 1952, Goody's Family Clothing is going private. Under an agreement reached Thursday, Boca Raton, Fla.-based Sun Capital Partners will acquire the...

Wegmans cuts Chase-Pitkin Home and Garden.(Wegmans Food Markets Inc.)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Unable to keep up in the face of battering competition from Home Depot and Lowe's, all 14 Chase-Pitkin Home and Garden Centers, owned by Wegmans Food Markets and located throughout New York State, will be shuttered between March 2006 and...

TJX takes focus off clicks and onto bricks.(TJX Companies Inc. to exit its e-commerce business)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... The Internet may be the retail channel of the future for some companies, but not TJX Cos. Framingham, Mass.-based TJX announced Thursday that it intends to exit its e-commerce business, which "has not delivered the sales we had planned," said...

This week's retail news nuggets.(Publix Super Markets Inc. to sue MasterCard International Inc. and Visa International, Royal Ahold N.V. to buy Albertson's Inc., Albertson's Inc. to close three Colorado stores)(Brief Article)
October 7, 2005... Publix Supermarkets became the latest retailer to sue Visa and MasterCard over interchange fees. The retailer alleges that the two credit card giants and their respective member banks are engaging in deceptive practices and restricting...