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Labor & Employment

  • L.L. Bean may give the boot to free shipping

    L.L. Bean is in a cost-cutting mode.    The company, which is evaluating all aspects of its business, is offering early retirement incentives (it hopes to trim about 500 positions), freezing pensions and taking a “hard look” at its free shipping and generous re-turns policy, the Associated Press reported.   

  • Sears details survival strategy

    It’s not over yet for the embattled Sears Holdings, which is streamlining its operations on the heels of what appears to be a brutal fourth quarter.    The long-struggling retailer on Friday announced a comprehensive restructuring that will cut at least $1 billion in operating costs a year. The plan involves reducing corporate overhead (although Sears did not specify, job cuts are likely), closer integration of the Sears and Kmart operations and improving its merchandising, supply chain and inventory management.

  • Investors reach $40 million settlement in Sears real estate deal

    Sears Holding Corp.’s chairman and CEO Eddie Lampert and the company's board settled a lawsuit alleging that the chief executive benefited from a spin-off deal.   The lawsuit was brought on behalf of Sears and against Lampert, other Sears directors and Seritage Growth Properties, the real estate investment trust established to acquire 235 of the struggling chain’s best stores, reported Reuters.  

  • NRF positive about 2017 sales, but potential legislation could pose a threat

    The National Retail Federation’s economic forecast for 2017 is a mostly positive one.   The association is projecting that retail industry sales, which exclude automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, will grow between 3.7% and 4.2% over 2016, roughly in line with last year’s 3.8% increase.     Online and other non-store/online sales, which are included in the overall number, are expected to increase between 8% and 12%.  

  • Target tops among retailers in this key area

    Target Corp. leads other retailers when it comes to reaching and attracting qualified talent.    The discounter ranked the highest (at No. 26) among Fortune 500 retail-ers for employment branding in a study by global talent solutions com-pany WilsonHCG. Target was followed by Publix (No. 42), The Home Depot (No. 50), Walmart (No. 64), Nordstrom (No. 77) and Whole Foods Market (No. 115). No retailer cracked the top 10, which was led by Gen-eral Electric, Johnson & Johnson and AT&T.       

  • This old store: Keys for transforming historic spaces

    For a retailer, the allure of a historic building is obvious. A renovated historic space conveys a unique degree of character and a memorable and defining sense of place. It can help a brand or business stand out in a crowded and competitive retail marketplace and deliver that all-important experiential element.  

  • Southampton locals rally behind shopping center

    Some 100 locals from tony Southampton, New York, gathered outside Town Hall yesterday to show their support for the building of a grocery-anchored center in the Tuckahoe neighborhood, according to Newsday.   Demonstrators wearing “Yes Tuckahoe Shopping Center” T-shirts argued that the King Kullen supermarket proposed for the project would give them easier access to affordable groceries.  

  • North Face exec joins Wolverine

    Wolverine World Wide announced the appointment of Todd Spaletto as president of the Wolverine outdoor and lifestyle group.   Spaletto will lead the growth of the Merrell, Chaco, CAT, Hush Puppies, and Sebago brands around the world. He brings 23 years of experience in branded apparel and footwear, and most recently served as president of The North Face, where he led the growth of this industry-leading global brand for six years.   
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