Finance & Capital Management

Chicago -- Skincare products retailer H2O+ announced the appointment of Joy Chen as the company's new president and CEO.

Chen most recently served as the CEO of YES TO Inc. where she managed the YES TO skin and bodycare portfolio’s expansion of North America and International distribution. She brings over 20 years of industry experience and a proven track record of driving sales and profit growth, in demanding, complex turnaround situations.

By Shah Karim, Saferock

If it hasn't done so already, the consumer experience will undoubtedly include omnichannel shopping, mobile, and social media as part of what consumers do naturally. Based on this inevitable evolution of how customers engage with retailers, here are seven retail “megatrends” which will become reality by 2020.

Sears Holdings continues to lose money –- lots of it –- and same store sales declined again during the holidays, but the severity of the company’s losses have diminished, which has Chairman and CEO Edward Lampert believing further improvement is coming as the company transforms to what he calls “a leading integrated membership-focused company.”  

Milwaukee -- Contracts are finalized and on-site work will soon begin on The Corners of Brookfield, a new 750,000-sq.-ft. premier lifestyle center that will be located on approximately 19 acres of land bounded by West Bluemound Road, North Barker Road and I-94 near Milwaukee.

The final development agreement has been signed with the Town of Brookfield, demolition of the vacant Menards building on The Corners project site will begin in the coming weeks and a formal groundbreaking is planned for spring 2015.

In a move that could alter political debate and improve the image of the world's largest retailer, Walmart announced that it will raise the minimum wage of its employees to as much as $10 per hour by 2016. The decision has received mixed reaction.

Here's a sampling of the analysis of Walmart's big announcement.

Montreal - Dollarama Inc. has named Elisa D. Garcia, executive VP and chief legal officer of Office Depot Inc., as an independent director and member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Garcia’s appointment expands the corporation’s board of directors to 10 directors, seven of whom are independent.

New York -- On Thursday, in a move that could shape the minimum wage debate, Walmart announced it was raising the minimum wage of its employees to $10 per house, which is significantly higher than the Federal minimum wage. The news has met with a mixed reaction.  

Here's a sampling:
 
CNBC reports that Wall Street gives Walmart a big thumbs down for the news.

Thousand Oaks, Calif. -- Gourmet hot dog and burger concept Dog Haus will open its fifth franchise location in Thousand Oaks, California, on Feb. 21.

The Los Angeles-based brand is making its Ventura County debut at 50 East Thousand Oaks Blvd. in a former Denny’s space.  Franchisee owners are Paul Homayoun and Gina Candari; the Thousand Oaks unit will be Dog Haus’s eighth location.