Consumer Affairs & Relations

Boilingbrook, Ill. -- Ulta Beauty has named Michelle Collins, president of Cambium LLC, a business and financial advisory firm to its board of directors, and as a member of its nominating and corporate governance and audit committees, effective Oct. 13, 2014.   

Plenty of retailers pay dividends, but none comes close to matching the track record of Stanley Black & Decker.

The company declared a 52 cent a share dividend for its fourth quarter and in so doing set a mark no retailer is likely to ever attain.

Hamilton, Bermuda –- In a surprise announcement, Signet Jewelers Ltd., the largest jewelry retailer in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, said that its president and COO, Mark Light,  will take over as CEO on Nov. 1. He will replace Signet’s current chief, Michael Barnes, who is resigning from his position and from Signet's board of directors to "pursue opportunities closer to his home in Dallas," effective Oct. 31.  

Foothill Ranch, Calif. -- The Wet Seal announced a workforce reduction resulting in the elimination of a combination of 78 filled and open positions, including  66 positions at the company’s corporate office, or a 24% reduction in headcount, and 12 positions at the field management level, representing a 20% decrease. The cuts are the first steps in the retailer’s initiative to reduce its overall cost structure.   

Oak Brook, Ill. -- McDonald’s USA will answer questions from customers through a multichannel effort called “Our Food. Your Questions.” The company invites people to submit their food questions via social media.    McDonald’s will respond with behind-the-scenes webisodes and other social content that provides facts on ingredients, how food is made and how it’s prepared in restaurants.    

Online referral service provider Angie’s List plans to increase the size of its headquarters in Indianapolis and increase the workforce to 2,800 people within five years.

Angie’s List, a review drive enterprise that helps facilitate transactions between more than 2.8 million consumers and service providers in 720 categories, said it plans to grow its base of employees from 500 in 2011 to roughly 2,800 by 2019. The company said the expansion was enabled in part by an attractive incentive plan from the City of Indianapolis and State of Indiana.

New York -- Two-thirds of Americans are limiting how much they spend each month. According to a new Bankrate.com report, of those limiting their monthly spending, 32% cite stagnant income as the main reason and 29% cite the need to save more.   

Sophisticated—and highly detailed—master plans are an increasingly important piece of the planning process.   By Roy Higgs   With mixed-use development (and redevelopment) a continued trend, complex multi-stage projects are an increasingly common feature on the civic landscape of towns and cities across the country. Consequently, many planning authorities are asking for (and, in some cases, demanding) much more than just basic sketch plans before signing off on a project.