Labor & Employment

As part of its efforts to reinvent its business and culture, Staples has opened a health and fitness center at its global corporate headquarters, in Framingham, Massachusetts. It is the latest in a series of updates to the campus, including a cafeteria stocked with healthier food options and a more open and collaborative floor plan, both designed by Business Interiors by Staples.

The Clorox Company has promoted Nick Vlahos, currently SVP and chief customer officer, to EVP and chief operating officer of household, lifestyle and core global functions, a position previously held by retiring EVP-COO George Roeth.

In this role, Vlahos will have responsibility for the charcoal, Glad, cat litter, food, Brita and Burt's Bees business operating units. He will also have responsibility for the company's marketing, sales, product supply and research and development functions.

Washington, D.C. -- Real estate brokerage house Cassidy Turley has entered into an agreement with an affiliate of DTZ Investment Holdings to be acquired for an undisclosed sum. The buyer group is comprised of TPG, PAG Asia Capital and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which is acquiring DTZ and Cassidy Turley, then combining the two into one global company with revenues of more than $2.9 billion and more than 28,200 total employees.

Both acquisitions – of DTZ and of Cassidy Turley – are expected to be completed prior to year-end 2014.

Seattle -- REI announced that Annie Zipfel has been promoted to senior VP marketing. With her, REI will not hire a chief marketing officer as previously announced, but instead add a senior creative leader to the company.

Zipfel joined REI in 2012 as the divisional VP customer marketing, and was named VP of the marketing division in January 2014. Prior to REI, she held leadership and strategic roles at Target and General Mills.

As part of its holiday strategy, Toys"R"Us plans to hire 45,000 seasonal employees at its stores and distribution centers nationwide, more than doubling the company's workforce as it continues preparing for the highly contested shopping season ahead.

YCD Multimedia, a provider of professional digital signage software solutions, has promoted Sam Losar, currently its president of US operations, to CEO.
 
Assuming CEO responsibility from company co-founder Noam Levavi, Losar will be trusted with continuing to expand the growth he achieved in the Americas to its business operations in Europe and Asia.

Noam Levavi co-founded the company in 1999 in Israel and led it for more than a decade.

New York -- Winick Realty Group announced that its New Jersey office has expanded, leasing a new location at 4 Commerce Drive in Cranford, which doubles the size of the company’s existing office.

The new 2,500-sq.-ft. office, which is set to open on Oct. 1, will allow the New Jersey branch to eventually accommodate up to 20 brokers and support staff.

Winick Realty Group said it plans to announce several new hires in its New Jersey office shortly after the completion of the move.

Coppell, Texas – An increase in selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expenses driven by growing costs of advertising, new stores and store support helped Alco Stores Inc. swing to a net loss of $7 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2014 from net earnings of $800,000 a year earlier.

Net sales dropped 6% to $110.7 million, from $117.7 million. Same-store sales declined 8.9%.