Labor & Employment

New York -- The specialty apparel and home goods chain C. Wonder is shuttering its remaining stores, according to Buzzfeed. The company, founded in 2011 by Christopher Burch, ex-husband of Tory Burch, quietly closed a number of its 32 stores in November. It is now closing its remaining locations, 11 in total, the report said.

New York -- U.S. mediators are joining the labor talks at West Coast ports in an attempt to jumpstart the stalled negotiations between the powerful International Longshore & Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA). The U.S. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service announced its involvement in the talks late on Monday.

“We are prepared and ready to render prompt assistance,” Allison Beck, acting director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, said in a statement.

New York -- In a deal that will greatly expand its luxury reach, Coach Inc. will acquire upscale footwear brand Stuart Weitzman Holdings from private equity firm Sycamore Partners. Coach will make initial cash payments of approximately $530 million to Sycamore Partners, and, in addition, will pay the firm up to another to $44 million in contingent payments upon hitting “selected revenue targets” over the next three years.

Leonard Lieberman, former chairman and CEO of Supermarkets General, which owns Pathmark, died at his home in Hoboken, N.J., on Jan. 2, according to an obituary on NJ.com. He was 85.

According to the obituary, his wife, Arlene, said the cause of death was heart failure.

It didn't take long for former Walmart de Mexico executive Scot Rank to land a new job.

Mexican dairy company Grupo Lala has appointed Rank, the former chief executive officer of Walmart de Mexico, as its new chief executive to replace retiring top boss Arquimedes Celis, the company said.

Celis, who served as CEO for 14 years, will retire on June 30 but continue as a board member at the company, one of Latin America's largest dairy producers.

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) announced that Jennifer Safavian has joined the association as executive VP for government affairs, effective Jan. 5. As RILA’s top lobbyist, Safavian will oversee RILA’s federal and state advocacy, guiding an agenda that includes cyber security, e-Fairness, tax reform and other critical issues facing the retail industry.

Chicago -- Commercial real estate services firm DTZ announced that Cassidy Turley and DTZ are now operating as a single global firm following the completion of the acquisition of Cassidy Turley by the private equity investment consortium backed by TPG Capital, PAG Asia Capital and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan.

Salisbury, N.C. - Bottom Dollar Food will close its 66 store locations in the greater Philadelphia and greater Pittsburgh markets by Jan. 15 and retire the banner's operations. Upon the closing of stores, Bottom Dollar Food will offer every associate severance, and eligible associates will be offered career transition services.

Washington, D.C. – Restaurant operators continued to hold a sunny outlook even as the weather turned gray in November. The Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – stood at 102.1 in November, down slightly from its October level of 102.8.

New York -- A federal judge recommended approval of a revised settlement of a lawsuit that challenged the pay of former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Michael Jeffries. The action comes three months after a different judge rejected a settlement that appeared to offer few benefits to the company and “broadly released shareholders' claims," Reuters reported.