Labor & Employment

Orlando, Fla. - Darden Restaurants Inc. plans to separate a portion of its real estate assets through a combination of sale leaseback transactions and a new, publicly traded real estate investment trust ("REIT"). Under the plan, Darden will transfer approximately 430 of its corporate stores to the REIT, with substantially all of the REIT's initial assets being leased back to Darden.  

San Francisco - Instacart, is giving some contract workers the opportunity to become part-time employees. After a successful pilot Boston, the company is now giving its personal shoppers in some cities the option to convert from contractor to employee status.

Seattle – Starbucks Corp. putting its money where its mouth is in terms of ethical and sustainable sourcing. Starbucks is making a new commitment to contribute $30 million in the next five years as part of its Global Farmer Fund program that aids sustainable farming operations.

New York -- The home and lifestyle company that domestic diva Martha Stewart launched in 1997 has been acquired in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $353 million. It’s a big comedown for a company that was valued at $2 billion on the day of its initial public offering in 1999, but whose fortunes have been on the downslide for a while now.

A notable shift is underway at crowdsourced grocery delivery company Instacart where an evolving business model means some independent contractor workers have gained part-time employee status.

After experimenting with converting independent contractors to part-time employees in Boston, the company also has made the shift in Chicago. Other cities are expected to follow given what Instacart says is a favorable impact on customer service and business results.

Boca Raton, Fla. — A deal that would leave the nation with one giant office-supply retailer is one step nearer to completion.

Office Depot shareholders have voted overwhelmingly in favor of the proposed $6.3 billion buyout offer from rival Staples Inc., with 99.5 % of the votes cast in favor of the merger.

Staples proposed to acquire Office Depot in February in a cash-and-stock deal. Under the deal, Office Depot shareholders will get $7.25 per share in cash and 0.2188 of a share in Staples stock for each Office Depot share held.

New York — Aeropostale is losing a key executive and not replacing her.

The retailer announced that its chief merchandiser, Executive VP Emilia Fabricant, is leaving the company. Effective immediately, the company's senior merchandising team will report to CEO Julian R. Geiger.

The retailer said there are no plans to seek a replacement for Fabricant at this time.

Barnes & Noble Inc. has appointed a Home Depot president and a former executive of PaineWebber as two new independent directors to its board ahead of the company's separation of its retail and college businesses.

The new board members are Ann-Marie Campbell, president of the southern division of Home Depot, and Paul B. Guenther, former president of PaineWebber Group Inc., the parent company of Paine Webber, Incorporated.

Ever-growing Amazon.com Inc. is expanding its e-commerce capabilities in Target's home turf.

The e-commerce behemoth has announced it will open an 850,000 square foot fulfillment center in the Minneapolis area, its first DC in the state of Minnesota.

The National Retail Federation is urging the Senate to quickly consider the stand-alone Trade Promotion Authority bill so that it can move to the president’s desk for his signature.

NRF issued the following statement from Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French: