Labor & Employment

Men’s grooming is one of the fastest-growing segments in beauty, and Hammer & Nails Grooming Shop for Guys is looking to tap into the rising consumer demand. The company, which provides hand and foot care, haircuts and shaves in what it bills as a "man cave nirvana,” plans to open 50 locations in Texas during the next five years.

Asda is making its workforce an enticing offer.   The British supermarket owned by Walmart is offering staff in its stores a 14% increase in their hourly pay if they sign a contract requiring more flexible working, according to Reuters.   The deal requires Asda staff to work in different parts of stores and dif-ferent days or hours, including public holidays. All breaks will be un-paid.  

Albertsons on Friday appointed Jonathan Mayes to the post of senior VP external affairs and chief diversity officer. In his new role, he will head up the company’s diversity and inclusion efforts, as well as its government relationships, philanthropy and sustainability departments.   

Diane K. Lettelleir, senior managing counsel of JCPenney Corp., discusses why retailers can’t wait for the government to solve the patent troll problem in the commentary below:    JCPenney and numerous other retailers have been hunted for the last decade by patent trolls that aggressively file suits based on overly broad claims in patents against related but distinct technologies. JCPenney alone has endured dozens of patent troll lawsuits over this period.   

Gordmans Stores is the latest chain to file for bankruptcy.   The 100-year-old chain announced on Monday, March 13, that it filed Chapter 11 in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Nebraska.  

Under Armour named Clay Dean as its chief innovation officer.   Dean will be responsible for driving the company's global vision and strategy for innovation, and cross-functional collaboration with the brand’s internal design, marketing, product, and category management teams. He will be based out of Under Armour's global headquarters in Baltimore, and will report to Kevin Haley, president, category management and innovation.  

Ulta Beauty is getting ready to break ground on its newest distribution center.  

There’s been a change at the top of teen apparel retailer Pacific Sunwear of California (PacSun).   Chief executive Gary Schoenfeld has departed the chain, which is owned by Golden Gate Capital. The news was first reported by shop-eat-surf.com   Schoenfeld had served as CEO of PacSun since 2009. No reason was given for his departure.   

The Buckle reported earnings for its fourth quarter that missed expectations amid a rough market for teen retailers.    Net income for the quarter ended Jan. 28 was $36.0 million, or $0.75 per share ($0.74 per share on a diluted basis), compared to $98.0 million, or $2.04 per share ($2.03 per share on a diluted basis).   Buckle’s net sales fell 15.7% to $280.0 million, from $332.0 million for the prior year.   Same-store sales for the quarter decreased 16.1%.

Staples swung to a loss in its fourth quarter, and said it would close more stores in 2017.   The retailer reported a net loss of $615 million for the quarter ended Jan. 28, or $0.94 per share, compared to a profit of $86 million, or 20 cents per share, for the year-ago period. Adjusted non-GAAP earnings came in at $0.25 per share, one cent below the consensus estimate.