Labor & Employment

Fort Worth, Texas – Struggling consumer electronics retailer RadioShack Corp. has named Carlin Adrianopoli, a consultant with strategic advisory and interim management services firm FTI Consulting, as its new interim CFO. Adrianopoli replaces Alix Partners managing director Holly Etlin, who was named interim CFO in September 2014 to replace previous CFO John Feray after he resigned.  

Struggling consumer electronics retailer RadioShack Corp. has named Carlin Adrianopoli, a consultant with strategic advisory and interim management services firm FTI Consulting, as its new interim CFO.

Adrianopoli replaces Alix Partners managing director Holly Etlin, who was named interim CFO in September to replace previous CFO John Feray after he resigned.

Adrianopoli, 39, has been a senior managing director in the FTI Consulting Corporate Finance/Restructuring practice since 2010 and joined FTI in 2002.

Walmart said the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ordered it to pay about $151 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed by employees who claim their meal and rest breaks were cut.

Walmart said the ruling, which it may appeal, would reduce its fourth-quarter earnings from continuing operations by about 6 cents per share.

The suit, filed in March 2002, represented about 187,000 Wal-Mart employees who worked in Pennsylvania between 1998 and 2006.

New Albany, Ohio – Steve Davis has resigned as CEO of Bob Evans Farms Inc. by mutual agreement with the board of directors. The official change will take place immediately, but Davis will remain with the company through the end of the year to assist with the transition process.  

San Leandro, Calif. - The U.S. retail sector will add nearly 30,000 jobs through the end of December as the country heads into a strong holiday shopping season. According to a study from HR services provider TriNet, recent job growth in the U.S. retail sector is built on positive consumer confidence, increasing retail spending, and positive job market outlook.   

Cincinnati – Retail real estate services provider Phillips Edison & Company has named Thomas L. Drake, CPA to the role of VP of tax. In his new role, Drake will be responsible for leading all aspects of the tax functions for the organization.  

Brisbane, Calif. – Bebe Stores Inc. has named Jim Wiggett, who has been serving as interim CEO since June 2014, as permanent CEO and member of the board of directors. Wiggett is a 40-year retail and business veteran.  

After weeks of exploring “strategic alternatives,” PetSmart has agreed to be acquired for about $8.7 billion by a consortium led by London-based BC Partners.

"We are pleased to have reached this agreement with BC Partners, which maximizes value for all of our shareholders and best positions PetSmart to continue to meet the needs of pet parents," said Gregory Josefowicz, chairman of PetSmart. "This transaction represents the successful conclusion of our extensive review of strategic alternatives." 

By Patrick Bannon, Rebecca DeGroff,  Noah Finkel, Richard Alfred (Seyfarth Shaw LLP)    The Supreme Court has unanimously that the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require employers to pay employees for time spent passing through post-shift security screening.  

Arlington, VA - Retailers on Friday criticized the National Labor Relations Board decision that gave the go-ahead to new laws to expedite the union election process. The amendments, to go into effect April 14, provide for electronic filing and transmission of election petitions and other documents; eliminates or reduces unnecessary litigation; and allows parties to consolidate election-related appeals to the board into a single appeals process, the NLRB said in a statement.