Consumer Affairs & Relations

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack has named marketing and communications executive Merianne Roth as the company’s new VP of communications, a newly created role at the electronics retailer.

She joins RadioShack from the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she was VP of marketing and communications. Her background includes leadership roles for J.C. Penney, where she was director of consumer brand marketing and publicity, and Pier 1 Imports, where she served as senior manager of public relations.

Minneapolis -- Target said it plans to open a new store in Spokane, Wash., in July 2014.

The 135,000-sq.-ft. store, part of the Regal Plaza shopping center, will be the retailer’s third location in the Spokane area.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney became the latest retail chain to say it will stop selling products associated with celebrity chef Paula Deen following her admission she has made racially derogatory remarks.

In addition, Ballantine Books has ended an agreement with her to publish five books. That agreement included "Paula Deen's New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up,” which was scheduled for release in October 2013 and had reached number one in presales on Amazon.com and the Barnes and Noble website.

FORT WORTH, Texas — RadioShack has appointed marketing and communications executive Merianne Roth as the company’s new VP of communications.

Roth's responsibilities will include RadioShack's corporate communications, community relations, internal communications and event marketing. She will report to Jennifer Warren, SVP and CMO. 

Hoffman Estates, Ill. - Sears Holdings on Friday joined the growing list of retailers and other companies severing ties with Southern celebrity chef Paula Deen in the wake of the controversy regarding her use of a racial slur. Both Sears and Kmart sold Paula Deen products.

“After careful consideration of all available information, we have made the decision to phase out all products tied to the brand,” Sears said in a statement. “We will continue to evaluate the situation. Our members’ needs will be given first priority.’

Hicksville, N.Y. - The battle between the board of Men’s Wearhouse and its founder and former chairman, George Zimmer, continues to have a significant negative impact on the company’s online image.  According to a report by GenSent Insights, the company’s sentiment score, a measure of the tone surrounding a brand on a scale of -100 to +100, plummeted from an average of + 68 in mid-June to a low of -52.  The sentiment on Twitter alone fell from an uncommonly high score of +93 to a low of -80. 

Minneapolis - Target announced plans to open new stores in Fresno and Rocklin, Calif., in March 2014.

The Fresno store will be part of the Marketplace at El Paseo shopping center. The Rocklin store will be part of the Rocklin Commons shopping center.

The Fresno Northwest store will be approximately 140,000 sq. ft.

Shareholders of Coinstar, the company behind the ubiquitous RedBox dvd rental machines, have adopted the name Outerwall as a new corporate identify.

The name change was confirmed at the company's annual meeting of shareholder on June 27, but an official tally of voting results won’t be available until July 2.

Janet Carter Smith was named SVP of market develop at Park City Group, a supply chain management company focused on technology solutions to enhance in-stock.

In her new role at Park City Group, Carter Smith will be responsible for developing business solutions, consulting and expanding efforts in market development.

Workforce management tools can help with compliance, control costs

As an industry with one of the largest populations of part-time workers, retail stands to be hit the hardest by the changes required by the Affordable Care Act. Yet as retailers start planning, many of them simply don't know how to comply, and what the long-term effects will be. Unfortunately, there is no "one-size-fits-all" solution, and employers will have to carefully select a strategy that is right for them.