OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Barnes & Noble retail group CEO to retire; will serve as real estate advisor
New York -- Barnes & Noble announced that Mitchell Klipper, CEO of the retail group, will retire at the end of the fiscal year, ending May 2, but will remain with the company in the role of special advisor on real estate and other matters. Klipper, a 28-year veteran of the chain, previously served as the retailer’s COO and CFO before being appointed chief executive.

The retailer said it has begun a search to fill Klipper’s position and that he will help with the selection of the new retail CEO and in the transition process.
Top execs from Target, Walgreens, Cabela’s join RILA board
New York -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association announced that top executives from Target, Walgreens and Cabela’s have joined the association’s board of directors.

RILA announced four new members of its board, including Target chairman and CEO Brian Cornell, Walgreens president Alexander Gourlay, Cabela’s president and CEO Thomas Millner and Newell Rubbermaid president and CEO Michael Polk.

Home Depot CEO Menear named chairman

Atlanta – The Home Depot Inc. has named CEO and president Craig Menear as chairman, effective Feb. 2. He will succeed Frank Blake, who will retire as chairman.
AutoNation names CEO Jackson as president; names new COO

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. – AutoNation Inc. has named Mike Jackson, chairman and CEO, to the additional role of president, effective Feb. 4, and signed a five-year employment contract extension through 2019. Jackson has been the CEO of AutoNation since 1999 and the chairman since 2002.
Walgreens legal head leaving for exec role at Hertz

Deerfield, Ill. - Thomas Sabatino Jr., executive VP, global chief legal and administrative officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance, will be leaving the company to join Hertz Global Holdings effective Feb.9. Sabatino will join Hertz Global Holdings as senior executive VP, chief administrative officer and general counsel.

Sabatino will remain in his current role with Walgreens Boots Alliance through the end of January to ensure a smooth transition of his current responsibilities. The company expects to announce his successor at that time.
Kellwood names former Barnes& Noble exec as CEO

New York -- Apparel manufacturer and retailer Kellwood has named Joseph Lombardi, the former CFO of Barnes & Noble, as CEO.

Lombardi joined Kellwood as CFO in 2013, and has three decades of retail experience across a variety of sectors, including apparel.
Webinar: Store traffic and conversion rates are critical to your business

New York -- In today's data-filled world, many retailers are missing some of the most basic — and important — metrics of all: store data and conversion rates. Join this Chain Store Age Webinar on Jan. 29, 2 p.m. (EST), and learn how the insights gained from this data can give companies an edge in today's hypercompetive, omnichannel retail environment.
Report: Home Depot data breach class action suit begins Jan. 16

Atlanta – A class action lawsuit compiling more than 30 of the 44 lawsuits that have been filed against The Home Depot Inc. in relation to its 2014 data breach is scheduled to begin Friday, Jan. 16 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia in Atlanta.

According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Chief Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. is telling attorneys for both sides to pursue a “just, speedy and inexpensive” resolution.
Target Bullseye: Q&A With Brian Cornell on Target’s Exit From Canada

Brian Cornell, CEO and chairman of Target Corp., used the company’s A Bullseye View blog to discuss Target’s decision to shutter its operations in Canada.

Does this decision mean that Target is declaring bankruptcy?
Verizon: Retailers fail to maintain PCI compliance

New York – Even when retailers achieve compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard, they often fail to maintain it. According to the upcoming 2015 PCI Report from Verizon Enterprise Solutions, fewer than one-third of retailers studied were still PCI-compliant less than one year after being validated.