Labor & Employment

Indianapolis -- The Finish Line said Tuesday that its chief administrative officer and corporate secretary Gary D. Cohen, will retire from the company effective March 29, 2012.

Cohen will step down effective December 1, but will remain with the company during a transition period ending March 29, 2012.

Cohen, 59, has been with Finish Line since 1997, first serving as general counsel and later in his current role.
 

PITTSBURGH — Dick's Sporting Goods took another step in expanding out West with the announcement that it will build a distribution center in Goodyear, Ariz., that is expected to bring approximately 120 jobs to the area when business opens in early 2013.

The distribution center will be designed to ultimately support approximately 160 stores as Dick's Sporting Goods grows its store base in the Western United States over the next 5-10 years and is eventually expected to employ up to 300 associates, the company reported.

By Julie S. Lucht, [email protected]

Pittsburgh -- Dick's Sporting Goods said Tuesday that it will build a new distribution center in Goodyear, Ariz., that will service the western United States. The new DC, which is expected to bring approximately 120 jobs to the area, is slated to open in early 2013.

The distribution center will be designed to ultimately support approximately 160 stores as Dick's Sporting Goods grows its store base in the western United States over the next five to 10 years and is eventually expected to employ up to 300 associates.

ST. LOUIS — Supervalu banner Save-A-Lot will open a new 330,000-sq.-ft. food distribution center in Lexington, N.C., on Wednesday.

The distribution center initially will service more than 70 stores within a 150-mile radius, Save-A-Lot noted.

The distribution center, which will employ 35 employees, is part of the company's commitment to expand in the region. Currently, there are nearly 30 Save-A-Lot stores in North Carolina, including one in Lexington; the company plans to open an additional three stores in the state by March 2012.

New York City -- Five state leaders in India made clear over the weekend their unwillingness to let foreign retailers set up shop in the country, the Associated Press reported.

Parliament adjourned Monday in an uproar over the issue and Communist Party-controlled trade unions have pledged to strike Thursday, the report said, and some politicians even threatened to burn down foreign stores that open under the new rules.

New York City -- Family Dollar hasn’t faced much community opposition during an ambitious decade-long expansion program that has left the company with roughly 7,000 stores in 45 states. However, there is a first time for everything and residents in the North Carolina community of Carrboro are pushing back against the retailer’s efforts to open a new store.

By Jackie Sloane

Earlier than ever opening hours over the holiday weekend placed unprecedented demands on store associates. Whether full time workers or among the hundreds of thousands of seasonal employees whose services are required to cope with the peak demands of the holidays, one thing is clear. Energy and attitude can amount to retailers’ “engagement advantage,” arguably the most crucial differentiating factor when it comes to influencing purchase decisions, sales and long-term loyalty.