Labor & Employment

HOUSTON -- Douglas Ewert will become CEO of Men’s Wearhouse effective at the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting on June 15, when founder and current chairman and CEO George Zimmer steps down.

Houston -- Men's Wearhouse announced Monday that company president and COO Douglas S. Ewert will succeed founder George Zimmer as president and COO, effective June 15.

According to the retailer, the transition is part of a previously announced succession plan.

Ewert, 47, has been nominated by the board to be elected as a director of the company at the annual shareholder meeting and will be included in the list of nominees in the proxy statement for consideration by the shareholders.

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — A former PepsiCo executive has joined Kellogg's as its new SVP global supply chain.

Steven Sterling, who most recently served as group VP operations for Pepsi's Frito-Lay division, joined Kellogg's on Friday. He will serve as a member of the company's executive leadership team and report to Kellogg president and CEO John Bryant.

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores announced Monday that it has named Brad Rogers to the position of VP real estate development.

Rogers will report to Keith Gehl, senior VP real estate and facilities.

Rogers began his career at Family Dollar in 1998 as real estate manager. Since joining the company, he has held additional roles in the real estate division, most recently serving as regional VP of the real estate portfolio and new stores.
 

Dallas -- Zale Corp. announced Friday that it has been cleared by the Securities and Exchange Commission in its investigation and that the SEC will not take any action against the company.

The SEC began investigating the jeweler in October 2009 after it restated its 2008 and 2009 earnings. The company said at the time that a financial audit had uncovered internal control and accounting issues related to advertising costs, income taxes and internal company payments, among other things.

The Equal Opportunity Employment Commission announced that Sam’s Club would pay a $440,000 fine to settle a harassment lawsuit involving Hispanics at a club in Fresno, Calif.

New York City -- Wal-Mart Stores has agreed to pay $440,000 to settle a federal harassment lawsuit by 10 employees who say they endured ethnic slurs and derogatory remarks on a daily basis while working at a Sam's Club store in Fresno, Calif. The EEOC announced the settlement Thursday.

Nine of the lawsuit plaintiffs were of Mexican descent and one was married to a Mexican. The alleged harasser was a Mexican-American co-worker.

Paris -- French retail giant Carrefour SA reported Thursday that sales in its fiscal first quarter inched up 3.9% to $35.7 billion.

Stronger showings in Brazil and China helped the retailer counteract weaker performance in Western Europe.

Carrefour's sales figures come ahead of a key shareholder vote in June on the company's plans to spin off its discount chain Dia and some European property assets into separately listed companies.