Labor & Employment

WP Glimcher announced that CEO and vice chairman Michael Glimcher has resigned from the REIT founded by his father, Herbert. Board member Louis Conforti was named interim CEO at the company slated to be rebranded as the Washington Prime Group.   Several other senior leadership changes were announced, including the replacement of Mark Ordan as board chairman with Robert J. Laikin, who had been the board’s lead independent director. Ordan stays on as a director.  

Specialty apparel retailer Lands' End is making a number of new executive appointments in the marketing and merchandising areas of the company.

Belk Inc. is expanding its senior leadership team.   The company, which operates 293 stores in 16 Southern states, named Randy Whitaker as executive VP, chief stores officer, effective June 27. He comes to Belk after more than 15 years at Victoria’s Secret, having most recently served as executive VP of store operations. His previous roles at Victoria’s Secret include senior VP of finance, real estate and stores, and VP of real estate integration.   

Despite their reputation as a generation dedicated to the greater good, millennial consumers are in some ways more narrowly focused than their Gen X elders.   According to a new study of more than 7,000 global consumers conducted online in April age 18-55 conducted by sales and marketing firm Daymon Worldwide, 35% of both millennial and Gen X consumers prefer buying sustainable products.  

The first-ever LinkedIn “Top Attractors” list of the most desirable companies to work is out, and several firms engaged in retail were included.  

Nordstrom Inc. has re-evaluated its near-term needs for e-commerce infrastructure.   The luxury retailer has decided to postpone the planned opening of a West Coast fulfillment center dedicated to fulfilling digital orders until 2020 or later.  

Vitamin Shoppe on Thursday announced that it has hired Jason Reiser as COO effective July 11.    

Macy’s has managed to avert what would have been the first strike at its most valuable property — its flagship in Manhattan — in over 40 years.   

A Swedish retail giant that excels in fast-fashion is also a leader when it comes to breaking the glass ceiling. But a U.S. merchant is not that far behind.   

Walmart is trimming administrative positions in some 500 stores in the West.   According to multiple media reports, the discount giant will cut three backroom accounting and invoicing positions at each store, for a total of 1,500 jobs. Affected employees will not be laid off, but instead offered front-of-store roles such as pharmacy technician or assisting pickups of online orders. Invoicing tasks will be shifted to corporate headquarters in Arkansas, while accounting functions will be automated.