Labor & Employment

DLC Management announced several promotions within its national leasing team, chief among them the naming of Chris Ressa as senior VP of the department.   A one-time Sherwin Williams real estate rep, Ressa joined DLC as a leasing rep in 2007 and rose through the ranks to become VP of the Midwest region and senior VP of the Northeast/Midwest region before being put in charge of nationwide leasing for this major owner and operator of open-air shopping centers.  

Walmart’s Lifelong Learning Program is getting a boost from a new partnership with educational technology and services company Cengage Learning.  

Bob Mariano, CEO of the Roundy’s Supermarkets Inc. division of The Kroger Co., will retire effective Sept. 1, 2016.   After retiring, Mariano will serve as strategic adviser to Kroger and Roundy's for two years. Don Rosanova, president of Mariano's, and Michael Marx, president of Roundy's Supermarkets Wisconsin, will continue to serve in their current roles leading the two supermarket divisions.  

Staples Inc.is looking north of the border for an executive to lead its North American operations.   The office supply giant is promoting Steve Matyas to president of North American retail. Matyas had previously served as president of Staples Canada/Bureau en Gros since July 2000, and will continue to serve as a member of the company’s executive committee.  

DDR fired president and CEO David Oakes and replaced him with 40-year industry veteran Thomas August. A company press release says Oakes’ termination was unrelated to financial or operating results, though DDR showed a net loss of $93.5 million in 2015 after posting income of $91.3 million the previous year.  

Two mid-sized U.S. and Canadian chains are joining forces to create the third-largest pet specialty retailer and the largest small format, neighborhood specialty pet retailer in North America   Pet Valu and Pet Supermarket have merged to create a combined business named Pet Retail Brands. With more than 930 stores, it is expected to generate approximately $1 billion in system-wide retail sales across the U.S. and Canada. Pet Retail Brands will have stores from the East Coast to the West Coast and from Miami to Vancouver.  

The end of summer is often a sad time, but workers at U.S. Starbucks stores have more to look forward to with the coming of autumn than football and the changing of leaf colors.   Effective Oct. 3, 2016, the coffee retailer is giving all employees and managers in U.S. company-operated stores an increase in base pay of 5% or greater. The range of increase will be determined by geographic and market factors.  

Walmart grocery shoppers in North Carolina and Virginia may notice an improved assortment.   The discount giant is opening a 450,000-sq.-ft. distribution center in Mebane, North Carolina, on Wednesday, July 13. The facility, which cost nearly $100 million, will be dedicated to distributing perishables to stores in North Carolina and Virginia.