Labor & Employment

Mooresville, N.C. – Lowe’s Companies Inc. will open three new stores in Canada, starting with a 94,500-sq.-ft. store in Lethbridge, Alberta in spring 2015. Lowe’s also plans to open an 86,000-sq.-ft. store in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and a 75,000-sq.-ft. store in Saulte Ste. Marie, Ontario.  

Memphis, Tenn. – Fred’s Inc. swung to a net loss of $10.4 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, compared to net income of $7.3 million in the same quarter a year earlier. Costs associated with closing five underperforming stores in the third quarter, and an anticipated 47 stores in the fourth quarter, contributed to the loss, which exceeded Wall Street projections. However Fred’s beat the Street with third quarter sales of$476.2 million, up 3% from $460.5 million. Same-store sales rose 0.3%.

Destination Maternity has appointed the managing partner of investment firm Voce Capital to the company's board of directors.

"As a long-term investor in Destination Maternity, we look forward to bringing additional shareholder perspective to the board and continuing to work constructively with the company to help enhance its value," J. Daniel Plants of Voce Capital said.

Cyber Monday may just as well be an official holiday considering  findings of a new study that show how little work actually gets done.

Retailers are facing a growing onslaught of lawsuits from current and former managers and assistant managers who claim their employers should have paid them for overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The managers’ assert that much of what the work managers and assistant managers do is not truly managerial and, therefore under the FLSA, they should not be exempt from receiving overtime pay for any time worked over 40 hours in a week.

Recent trends bode well for consumer spending    

Blue skies and cool breezes. That’s the economic forecast as the calendar turns for a new year.

Tiffany & Co. reported a better-than-expected increase in same-store sales, mainly due to strong demand for high-end fashion jewelry in North and South America.  

New York - The fast-growing accessories retailer Charming Charlie is entering the New York City market in spring 2015.