Labor & Employment

San Francisco--JLL announced that it has expanded its retail brokerage practice in Northern California with the addition of Jamie Kendall as VP. Kendall will be based in the firm’s San Francisco office, and will partner with the firm’s existing retail, agency leasing and investment sales teams to help maximize the value of retail assets for JLL’s growing client base in downtown San Francisco.

Brussels, Belgium -- Delhaize Group has signed an agreement to sell its Bottom Dollar Food stores to deep-discount grocer Aldi Inc. for approximately $15 million, including the assumption of associated lease liabilities. The transaction, which involves  66 Bottom Dollar stores in the greater Philadelphia and Pittsburgh markets, is expected to result in an asset impairment and other charges for Delhaize Group of approximately $180 million.  

New York-- Ann Inc. is forecasting declining sales for the fiscal third and fourth quarter and full year 2014. The company is also launching a comprehensive, end-to-end assessment of its supply  chain to identify opportunities to enhance profitability, with a focus on speed, flexibility, improving product sell-through and reducing the cost of goods sold.  

Milwaukee –- Roundy’s Inc. swung to a net loss of $249.9 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014 from net income of $3.2 million the same quarter a year earlier. A variety of impairment charges, including charges related to closing a distribution center, taxes and disposal of obsolete assets, drove Roundy’s into the red, along with higher operating and administrative expenses.  

By Jason Ausburn and Karl Fruecht   You’ve acquired a new storefront. While doing your final walk-through, you notice an unlocked door that opens to a side alley. You can’t use the alley for storage. It doesn’t give your customers an additional entrance. It’s just an additional access point.   How are you going to secure it?  

Chicago -- The marketing chiefs of U.S. retailers are optimistic about the upcoming holiday season, forecasting a solid 4.1% increase in overall holiday store sales, according to a recent BDO USA survey. The projection is in line with the National Retail Federation’s 4.1% expected holiday sales increase, and is a full percentage point higher than actual retail sales gains in the 2013 season.

Thorofare, N.J. -- Shrink—including shoplifting, employee or supplier fraud and administrative errors—cost the global retail industry more than $128 billion last year, with $42 billion lost in the United States alone, according to the latest Global Retail Theft Barometer study. This represents 1.29% of retail sales, on average.   

Archer Daniels Midland Company has appointed Juan R. Luciano the next CEO and also has elected him to the company’s board of directors, effective immediately.  Luciano previously served as company’s president and COO responsible for leading and running the company’s global operations.

Luciano succeeds Patricia Woertz, who will continue in the role of ADM’s chairman of the board and is expected to retire in May 2016.

Jacqueline Hourigan Rice will join Target Dec. 1 as the retailer’s SVP of risk and compliance after holding a similar role at General Motors.

In her new role Rice will assume some responsibilities previously held by Ann Scovil who retired in March as vp of assurance, risk and compliance. Rice will also have responsibility for corporate security and Target’s suppliers. She will report directly to Target CEO Brian Cornell who joined the company in August.

 

Downsized facilities management departments. Projects that reduce maintenance and operating costs. Store refreshes as opposed to costly remodels. Mandy Rennehan of Freshco Retail Maintenance spoke with Chain Store Age about how changes in retail facilities management are impacting retailers.

 

What trends are you seeing with regard to store retrofits and remodels?