Labor & Employment

Bloomington, Minn. -- Mall of America has launched a $325 million expansion project in cooperation with Mortenson, a U.S.-based construction and development services company, Hotel Development LLC, an enterprise of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community, and the city of Bloomington, Minn.

New York -- The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index remained flat in February 2014, showing only a marginal change. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.

The Index, which comprises four components, tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices, ticked down slightly to 3.9 from 4.0 last month. Highlights of the Index include:

Tax Burden: The tax rate stayed at 11.8%, consistent with recent months.

Washington, D.C. – President Obama reportedly wants to raise the maximum salary threshold for overtime eligibility for salaried employees. According to Reuters, Obama has directed the Labor Department to raise the current maximum salary level of $455 per week, which covers about 12% of all hourly employees.

New York -- Ralph Nicoletti, executive VP and CFO of healthcare services and insurance provider Cigna, will become the next executive VP and CFO of Tiffany & Co. His appointment to those offices will become effective on April 2, 2014.

Tiffany & Co. has appointed Ralph Nicoletti as its next EVP and CFO, effective April 2. He steps into the CFO role following current chief operating officer and CFO James N. Fernandez’s plans to retire in July.

Nicoletti will be based in New York and responsible for the company’s worldwide financial functions and information technology. He will report to chairman and CEO Michael J. Kowalski

The growth of e-commerce contributed to an 8% increase in average daily FedEx Ground volume, but severe winter weather exacted a heavy toll on the company’s profitability.

GE has appointed Charles Nugent as VP, manufacturing, for GE Oil & Gas, reporting to Lorenzo Simonelli, SVP and CEO of GE Oil & Gas.

GE has 192 officers globally who lead large revenue-generating businesses or are in critical technology or functional roles, charged with helping to drive growth.

Nugent has been with the company for 30 years, holding a number of leadership roles in plant management and operations with GE Aviation. Most recently, he served as senior executive of product management at GE Aviation.

New York — The economy is in better shape than many people think — especially when you look under the hood at some of the parts, CNBC senior analyst Ron Insana told attendees at Chain Store Age’s 50th annual SPECS show. Insana was a keynoter at the event, which was held at the Gaylord Texan Hotel, Grapevine, Texas, March 9 – 12, and attracted retail executives in store planning, construction and facilities. “The United States economy is actually performing quite nicely,” Insana said. “If you look around the world, no one else comes close.”

Canton, Mass. – Destination XL Group Inc. reported a net loss of $55.1 million for its fourth quarter, compared to net income of $4.2 million in the year-ago period. The chain cited a sluggish retail environment, a shorter holiday selling season and adverse weather conditions as contributing to the disappointing results.

Seattle -- Amazon said it will open a 1-milllion-sq-.ft. distribution center in Kent, Wash., which will be its fourth in Washington state. IDS Real Estate Group and Clarion Partners are building the site as part of a joint venture. Amazon’s other Washington fulfillment centers are located in Sumner and Bellevue, and a DuPont site is near completion.