Labor & Employment

Walmart’s same store sales turned positive during the third quarter, ending a two year drought, prompting the company to forecast a U.S. comp increase of as much as 1% during the fourth quarter.

Bentonville, Ark. –- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. reportedly sent a memo to marketing managers on Oct. 2 saying that sales need to improve for chilled and fresh items in stores, including dairy, meat and produce. 

 

According to the New York Times, the memo cited customer complaints about expired items, as well as the need for less backup inventory and the rotation of perishable items.

 

Fort Worth, Texas –- RadioShack Corp. is reportedly placing a midday break into its previously planned all-day store hours for Thanksgiving. According to Bloomberg, an internal company memo shows that RadioShack, which had previously planned to keep stores open from 8 a.m. to midnight on Thanksgiving, will now close stores between noon and 5p.m. that day.  

New York City -- Chelsea Bagel, operating on West 14th Street for the past five years, has leased its second Manhattan location.  

Atlanta -- Global Franchise Group, the brand management company and franchisor behind Great American Cookies, Pretzelmaker, Marble Slab Creamery,  MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream & Treatery and Hot Dog on a Stick, has hired Andrew Kmiec as VP of Real Estate. Kmiec will be responsible for directing GFG’s real estate team in the areas of strategic site selection, lease negotiation and store design for franchisees and corporate owned locations.  

Veteran apparel merchant Celia Clancy spent time at Bradlees, Walmart and TJX Companies. Now she is the newest member of struggling specialty retailer Body Central’s board of directors.

Seattle -- Outdoor outfitter REI has added a chief creative officer slot, and hired Ben Steele to fill the position, effective Jan. 1. Steele most recently served as executive creative director at global brand firm Hornall Anderson in Seattle.

 

Washington -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to slow down this month following record levels seen in September and October as retailers rushed to bring merchandise into the country ahead of a possible shutdown of West Coast ports, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.