Labor & Employment

Former Walmart CEO and current board member Mike Duke is the newest operating executive at the Carlyle Group, which suggests the pace of deal-making activity in the retail and consumer packaged goods world could be about to heat up.

Former Walmart President and CEO Mike Duke talks with First Lady Michelle Obama at the quarterly meeting of member CEOs of the Business Roundtable on March 13, 2013. Photo credit: Walmart.

Washington, D.C. – Mike Duke, former president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, has joined global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group. Mike Duke as an operating executive in the Global Consumer & Retail group. He began his duties in mid-April.

Canton, Mass. – Dunkin’ Donuts has signed a multi-unit store development agreement with new franchise group Legacy Concepts LLC to develop 10 new restaurants in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas of Bloomington, Edina, Eden Prairie and the communities west of the metro area. The first restaurant is planned to open by the end of 2015.

St. Louis – Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. has named Chris Hurt as COO. Hurt has more than 20 years of retail experience in senior leadership roles and most recently held the position of senior VP of North America at American Eagle Outfitters Inc.

Hurt will lead the Build-A-Bear Workshop retail and operations teams to drive sales and profits, while promoting ongoing growth for the business. He will oversee all business operations, including the corporate strategy and structure for stores. He will report to Sharon Price John, CEO.

Louisville, Ky. - Long John Silver's has named Brian Unger as COO. He joins the organization with more than 30 years of experience in the food service industry.

Unger's restaurant operations experience began as a manager trainee at McDonald's, where he moved on to promotions and international leadership positions in the Caribbean and Latin America. He achieved the positions of senior VP of McDonald's USA and VP of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) is publicly supporting the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s consideration of the Data Security and Breach Notification Act. In a public statement, Mallory Duncan, senior VP and general counsel NRF, said strong tools are needed to combat criminal breaches.

It’s important to balance not only the flooring product selection but also color consistency across materials, employee and customer comfort, risk management, slip-and-fall issues, branding, sustainability and more. Meet Mark Bischoff with Tarkett, as he discusses what it means to marry design and safety in a space as well as how Tarkett manages national and international rollouts.