Labor & Employment

In 1984, at the impressionable age of 17, Doug McMillon’s journey with Walmart began in a way that hardly foretold he would one day become CEO. On the way to a Walmart warehouse for his first day of unloading trucks, McMillon rear-ended his supervisor’s car with his father’s Honda Civic, he recalled in the February issue of Walmart World.

Although McMillon’s early exposure to Walmart came inside a sweltering distribution center, he said the camaraderie, enthusiasm and passion he witnessed let him know something special was going on.

Birmingham, Ala. — Bayer Properties has appointed Brad Bailey VP of business development. With more than 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate and retail industry, Bailey comes to Bayer from The Weitzman Group, where he held the position of senior VP and director of investment sales. His responsibilities there included consulting on acquisitions, dispositions, operations, leasing and financing.

Thorofare, N.J. -- The ECR Shrinkage Group, an expert group focused on shrink, with the support of merchandise availability solutions supplier for the retail industry Checkpoint Systems, is launching an online benchmarking tool, which enables retailers to understand how well they are managing shrink compared to others and the relative strengths and opportunities of their loss-prevention program. The tool provides global benchmarks on the strategic, organizational and operational standards that underpin an effective shrink management strategy.

York, Pa. -- Bon -Ton Stores said its CEO, Brendan Hoffman, will step down early next year. The announcement follows a disappointing fourth quarter for the company.

Hoffman, a former CEO of Lord & Taylor, will leave Bon-Ton on Feb. 7, 2015, when his contract expires. He also will step down as director. Hoffman cited "strictly personal reasons" for his decision to leave.

He was appointed CEO of Bon-Ton in February 2012.

New York -- Plus-sized retailer Ashley Stewart has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of its restructuring plan, the company announced it will immediately close 27 underperforming locations. Ashley Stewart currently operates some 168 stores. The company previously filed Chapter 11 in 2010.

In a separate statement, the company said potential buyers have expressed interest in buying the chain.

Pittsburgh -- American Eagle Outfitters Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit plunged 89% on lower sales and one-time charges related to employee severance costs, the discontinuation of a product line and other items. The company also forecast first-quarter results that were below analysts' estimates.

The teen apparel retailer posted net income of $10.5 million for the quarter ended Feb.1, down from $94.8 million in the year-ago period.

Sales were $1 billion in the quarter, down from $1.1 billion last year. Same-store sales fell 7%.

New York -- Swatch Group SA is suing Target Corp. for illegally selling watches that copy Swatch watches.

Swatch, in a lawsuit made public on Monday, accused the retailer of infringing its designs for "multi-colored" and "zebra watches." The watchmaker said the quality of the Target watches is inferior compared to its own and that their sale is likely to confuse consumers and hurt Swatch's sales.

New York -- Ross Stores continues to expand in 2014. The off-price retailer has already opened 30 Ross Dress for Less and seven dd's Discounts stores in 14 different states, and there's more to come.

"We remain on track to open a total of approximately 95 new locations in 2014, comprised of about 75 Ross Dress for Less and 20 dd's Discounts," said Jim Fassio, president and chief development officer. "Today, Ross Dress for Less is the largest off-price apparel and home fashion chain in the U.S.”

Smaller format stores are all the rage these days. Dollar General, which already operates nearly 12,000 stores, plans to open 700 more units this year. Walmart recently announced plans to accelerate growth of its smaller format stores by opening between 270 and 300 small stores, more than double the 120 to 150 store range it projected last fall. Even Target has gotten in on the action with plans to open its first Target Express store near downtown Minneapolis this summer.

Following disappointing fourth-quarter sales, the Bon-Ton Stores president and CEO Brendan L. Hoffman has notified the company’s board of directors that he will not renew his employment agreement with the company when it expires Feb. 7, 2015.

Hoffman also plans to resign as a director of the company.