Labor & Employment

PHOENIX - The board of directors of PetSmart has unanimously appointed Dr. Angel Cabrera, Ph.D., to the board, effective Dec. 9. 

Cabrera is president of the Thunderbird School of Global Management, a position he has held since 2004. Prior to joining Thunderbird, Cabrera was professor and dean at Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, Spain from 1998 to 2004.

WASHINGTON - The National Retail Federation announced that it has urged the Senate to support legislation extending Bush era tax cuts that is scheduled for a procedural vote today, saying the measure would help preserve and create jobs.

New York - Fast Retailing, Asia’s biggest clothing chain and the parent of Uniqlo, is lookjing to open at least 200 Uniqlo stores in the United States  by 2020 as it seeks to raise sales sixfold in a decade, according to a Bloomberg report. 

"The United States is one of the most important markets for us,” Shin Odake, CEO of Uniqlo’s U.S. unit, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. 

CINCINNATI - Macy’s, Inc. (NYSE:M - News) today announced it will build a major new fulfillment center near Martinsburg in Berkeley County, W.Va., to support the continued growth of its online business. The site is located strategically along I-81, about 80 miles northwest of Washington, D.C.

NEW YORK - Gracious Home, a home goods retailer with stores in New York City's Upper West and Upper East side neighborhoods, as well as online at gracioushome.com, was acquired by Americas Retail Flagship Fund LLC. The company under its prior ownership had filed for bankruptcy protection in August.

CINCINNATI - Just two weeks after announcing the exit of it's SVP retail operations, Kroger announced a replacement.

Geoffrey Covert, a seasoned Kroger executive, will become SVP retail operations, effective Jan. 1. He will be responsible for leading the company's programs and processes focused on operating efficiency, store productivity, and associate and customer safety., Kroger said. Prior to this position, Covert served as president of the company's Cincinnati/Dayton division for the past six years.

MINNEAPOLIS - Supervalu named Sherry Smith EVP and CFO. Smith had been the company’s interim CFO. She immediately assumes her new role and will directly report to Craig Herkert, CEO and president.

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - TJX Companies announced that it will consolidate its A.J. Wright division by converting 91 A.J. Wright stores into T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or HomeGoods stores and by closing the remaining 71 stores, A.J. Wright’s two distribution centers and its home office. This action is expected to improve the overall profitability of the company, and will allow TJX to focus its managerial and financial resources on its larger, more profitable businesses, all of which have major growth potential, as well as to serve the A.J.