Labor & Employment

Fairfield, N.J. -- Amerlux CEO/president Chuck Campagna has announced that Chris McQuillan has joined the management team as VP of sales. Amerlux is a global leader in innovation, manufacturing and creative lighting solutions for a broad range of commercial, retail, hospitality and institutional environments.  

Interactions, a company that organizes event marketing and product demonstrations for retailers and brands, has appointed Jerry Slater as VP of operations.

Slater will lead Elite Marketing Interactions, the company’s in-house group dedicated exclusively to Meijer, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 203 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. In his new role, Slater is responsible for overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations and will be based in the Grand Rapids office.
 

Electrolux North America has recently begun production on its first Memphis, Tenn.-made home cooking appliances.

The inaugural products produced at the Memphis facility, the Frigidaire and Frigidaire Gallery slide–in ranges, rolled off the assembly line, were crated and loaded onto trucks for warehousing and retail distribution throughout the United States. This marks the culmination of a two-year construction effort of the $266 million facility.

Rite Aid has elected president and CEO of Catholic Health Initiatives Kevin Lofton to its board of directors.

Lofton has worked with the Englewood, Colo.-based operator of hospitals and long-term care centers since 1998 and was appointed as its president and CEO in 2003.

Less than a week after Office Depot and Officemax consummated their merger, the combined companies have a new chairman and CEO in former Delhaize America CEO Roland Smith.

In conjunction with the appointment of Smith, who also previously served as CEO of Wendy’s, the two CEOs of Office Depot and OfficeMax who were serving as co-CEOs of the combined company both resigned. Neil Austrian served as CEO of Office Depot and Ravi Saligram served as CEO of OfficeMax prior to the merger.

Washington, D.C. -- Women account for 18.4% of directors serving on the boards of the world's largest retail and consumer products companies globally, according to the latest Corporate Women Directors International (CWDI) report on Women Board Directors of Top Retail and Consumer Products Companies Globally.

Ascena Retail Group has appointed Judith Langley as EVP and chief merchandising officer of Dressbarn.

“Judi is an outstanding merchant with deep specialty and large retail format experience. She will play a key role in the evolution of the Dressbarn brand and we are delighted to have her joining the team,” said David Jaffe, president and CEO of Ascena Retail Group.

A 32.4% increase in online sales was one of few bright spots in regional sporting goods retailer Sport Chalet’s second quarter.

During the period ended September 29, the Los Angeles-based chain said sales declined 5.2% to $86.7 due to a 2.5% same store sales decline, the closure of three underperforming stores and weakness in its team sales division due to changes in personnel. The negative factors were offset by strength in the online business and the opening of one new store. Sport Chalet ended the quarter with 52 stores.

Dallas -- During the next 24 months, Kroger will invest $150 million in North Texas to build five new Marketplace stores and to expand three locations, along with opening multiple fuel centers and remodeling existing properties. The growth initiative will create more than 1,700 full- and part-time career opportunities that offer competitive pay, healthcare plans, retirement options, product discounts and other incentives.

Atlanta – The Home Depot is taking steps to make amends for a racist tweet it sent from its official account on Nov. 7. The tweet, a promotion aligned with ESPN college football coverage, showed a photo of two African-Americans playing the drums along with a person wearing a gorilla mask and the caption: “Which drummer is not like the others?”