Labor & Employment

By Frank Layo, Kurt Salmon

First the bad news: The chronic congestion tying the West Coast ports in knots is on track to cost U.S. retailers some $7 billion this year, and losses could total nearly $37 billion by the end of 2016.

And the good news? At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be much to speak of.

London – Leading U.K. supermarket chain Tesco plc is reportedly considering laying off as many as 10,000 employees in response to poor profit performance. According to the Sunday Telegraph, Tesco may lay off up to 6,000 employees from its head office and 43 stores the retailer already announced it will close, and eliminate the rest by streamlining operations.

Jobs eliminated by streamlining would include executive positions. In January, Tesco said it would shutter 43 stores with as many as 2,000 resulting layoffs.
 

Mahwah, N.J. -- Ascena Retail Group is eliminating its fledgling boys brand, Brothers, as part of a strategic review of its Justice business. Ascena launched the Brothers brand about three years ago as a way to enter the tween boys market. The company created Brothers stores inside some of its Justice stores.

Operations related to the Brothers brand are expected to be fully wound down by the end of the company’s fiscal year.

By Michelle A. Thompson, Director, Learning, Home Depot University

How do you mold a large workforce with a significant part-time segment into experts in home improvement so customers get the answers they need every time they walk in the doors of The Home Depot?

It requires committed associates, strong leaders, and innovative learning solutions.

The president of Target Canada will return to the fold in the United States as the company shuts down its Canadian operations.

According to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, Target Canada president Mark Schindele will return to the company’s U.S. operation and assume a new position of senior VP of retail properties.

The newspaper also reported that about 550 employees in Minnesota were laid off, the biggest reduction at its headquarters since 2009.

Minneapolis – Although 550 Target Canada headquarters employees are being laid off as Target Corp. prepares to shut down its Canadian venture, the number one person will remain employed. According to the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, Target Canada president Mark Schindele will return to the company’s U.S. operation and assume a new position of senior VP of retail properties.

Rhonda Mauldin was selected from more than 1,100 Food Lion store managers for the retailer’s highest honor.

Mauldin, who is the store manager of the Food Lion located at 1004 W. Georgia Road in Simpsonville, S.C., is Food Lion’s 2014 Store Manager of the Year.

How do you mold a large workforce with a significant part-time segment into experts in home improvement so customers get the answers they need every time they walk in the doors of The Home Depot?

It requires committed associates, strong leaders, and innovative learning solutions.