Labor & Employment

ST. LOUIS — The boards of directors for Ralcorp Holdings' Ralcorp and Post divisions were unveiled Friday by the company.

As previously reported, Ralcorp said its Post cereal business will be spun off to become its own entity.

Boise, Idaho -- Albertsons LLC plans to close four underperforming stores: one in Arizona, one in Louisiana and two in Texas.

The closings will leave Albertsons with 205 stores in the Southwest and the South.

New York City -- Consumer confidence rose more than forecast in January, reaching its highest level in eight months amid signs of an improving labor market.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan preliminary index of consumer sentiment increased to 74 from 69.9 at the end of December. The median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey called for 71.5. The measure has increased 9.9 points in the last two months, the biggest such gain since April-May 2009.

New York City -- Retail companies are experiencing a period of sustained turnover at the top, according to the a new report by Russell Reynolds Associates, which examined turnover and recruitment trends between January 2006 and April 2011 at 81 retail chains headquartered in the United States with annual revenues of $1 billion or more.

The study,” A Perfect Storm: CEO Challenges in Retail,” found that 59% of the retail companies studied experienced a change in CEO leadership during this five-year period. 
In other findings:

Julie Roehm may have only spent a short time in Walmart’s marketing department over five years ago but she made quite a name for herself during that brief tenure and after she was fired. Now, Ad Age is reporting the former Walmart SVP has turned up in a similar capacity at software maker SAP.

I have to admit it: I was shocked when I heard the news this week that Glen Senk, the widely-admired CEO of Urban Outfitters, was resigning.  Sure, the company wasn’t coming off the best of years, having battled lackluster sales throughout much of 2011. A series of fashion misses — nothing new in the always dicey world of women’s apparel — had taken their toll on profit as the retailer sought to clear slow-moving merchandise with deep discounts.

New York City -- Ron Eigenbrod, founder & CEO of Lightstat Inc., Pleasant Valley, Conn., died suddenly at his New Hartford home on Christmas Eve of a heart attack. He was 59.

By Stephen Wyss, BDO USA, LLP