Consumer Affairs & Relations

Hamilton, Bermuda -- Signet Jewelers Limited and Zale Corporation have announced the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, in connection with the proposed acquisition of Zale by Signet.

The expiration of the HSR Act waiting period satisfies one of the conditions to the closing of the proposed acquisition, which remains subject to approval by Zale’s stockholders and certain other customary closing conditions.

Rite Aid has appointed David Abelman a SVP of brand development and innovation. He will report to Ken Martindale, Rite Aid’s president and chief operating officer.

Abelman will be responsible for overseeing the continued development of Rite Aid brand products as well as identifying and implementing new innovations to enhance and grow Rite Aid’s business.

Washington, D.C. -- Retail employment increased 18,200 in March and 229,000 year-over-year, according to the National Retail Federation. The increase is consistent with recent positive economic indicator reports and bodes well for income and consumer confidence as the industry enters into the busy spring selling season.

Cary, N.C. -- The board of directors of The Pantry Inc. has elected Thomas W. "Tad" Dickson, former chairman and CEO of Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc., to serve as chairman of the board of directors. He replaces Edwin J. Holman, who was chairman of the board since September 2009.

Minneapolis – All lawsuits relating to the 2013 data breach at Target Corp. will be consolidated before a single court in Minnesota. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has assigned all data breach suits to be heard by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson in Minnesota.

New York -- Liberty Media Corp. has entered into agreements to reduce its stake in Barnes & Noble. Liberty Media informed Barnes & Noble that while Liberty has sold the majority of its shares to qualified institutional buyers, it will retain approximately 10% of its initial $204 million investment, which could be converted to a 17% ownership stake.

Ottawa, Canada -- Greg Soussloff has joined 360pi as VP of customer value. Soussloff brings 20 years of sales and sales management experience to this role.

Prior to joining 360pi, Greg was the U.S. senior director for retail and consumer goods for SAS’ Americas division, where he helped in securing enterprise agreements with retailers and consumer goods companies including Macy’s, eBay, Nike, Kellogg, Wal-Mart and Nestle. Soussloff will be located in Dallas, as part of 360pi’s U.S. presence.

Run Jump Throw is the name of new youth activity initiative The Hershey Company will begin next year when its existing Hershey’s Track & Field Games program undergoes a transition.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation (NRF) has publicly called Senate legislation aimed at increasing the federal minimum wage by 40% an anti-job tax that would lead to higher labor costs for employers and fewer opportunities for young and entry-level workers. NRF will include votes on the minimum wage as “Key Retail Votes” in its annual voting scorecard used to measure legislative support for the retail industry’s public policy priorities.

Dallas -- AT&T will hire more than 3,000 retail sales and sales management employees nationwide during the next several months. The retailer said the new employees are needed to meet increased customer demand in the company's growing retail business.