Labor & Employment

Former Mexican president Felipe Calderón will be one of the key note speakers this fall when the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals gathers in Denver for the organization’s annual global conference.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores has announced plans to open a new customer service operations center in Dallas.

Expected to open in late spring 2014, the two-building, three-story, 240,000-sq.-ft. facility will support the continued growth of the company’s Kohl’s Charge program, as well as its online business, which reached $1.4 billion in sales last year following three consecutive years of more than 40%  annual growth.

Toronto -- Sears Canada Inc. will enter into a series of transactions related to two stores within shopping centers co-owned by Oxford Properties Group and Alberta Investment Management Corporation that give the co-owners the right to require Sears Canada to vacate the properties by March 2014. The transactions, valued at $191 million, affect stores at the Yorkdale Shopping Centre in Toronto and at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga.

Brussels, Belgium -- Jean-Pierre Hansen is resigning from the board of directors of The Delhaize Group effective June 30. Hansen, who initially joined in 2011, said the position required more time than he anticipated and he needed to attend to commitments in the energy sector and other unspecified duties.

“I have very much enjoyed working with great colleagues on the Board and wish the company well in its future growth," said Hansen.

Food Lion store manager Charles Inman got a big surprise on Monday when some folks from the Brussels-based home office of parent company Delhaize Group showed up at his store.
 
Inman was selected from more than 3,400 Delhaize Group store managers to receive the company’s Store Manager of the Year award and company officials decided to surprise Inman with a ceremony at his store in Clayton, N.C.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s plans to open a new customer service operations center in Dallas in late spring 2014. The two-building, three-story, 240,000-sq.-ft. facility will support the company’s growing Kohl’s Charge program as well as Kohls.com.

The company's e-commerce site reached $1.4 billion in sales last year following three consecutive years of more than 40% annual growth.

Reduced landfill waste, fewer accidents and increased sales from environmentally friendly products were among the accomplishments Kimberly-Clark touted in its 10th annual sustainability report.

The company’s report, a comprehensive overview progress against its sustainability and corporate responsibility efforts, highlights significant developments in key areas of people, planet and products. Kimberly-Clark manufacturers some of the worlds best known brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend.

Evansville, Ind. -- Shoe Carnival said Thursday it has named Kent Zimmerman as VP e-commerce, effective June 3.

Zimmerman, who comes to the footwear retailer from global systems integration and solutions provider Optaros, is charged with overseeing Shoe Carvinal’s e-commerce and omni-channel strategies.

“We believe Shoe Carnival has a tremendous opportunity to grow our e-commerce and overall omni-channel presence in the family footwear industry,” said Cliff Sifford, president and CEO. “

Washington, D.C. -- A report released Thursday by the Commerce Dept. said that retail sales in the U.S. gained 0.6% in May, more than forecast and likely boosted by increased hiring during the month.

The increase was the largest in three months and followed a 0.1% advance in April. Bloomberg economists called for a 0.4% increase. The figures used to calculate economic growth, which exclude categories such as automobiles, climbed 0.3%.

Lululemon's chairman, Dennis "Chip" Wilson, sold stock worth $50 million just days before shares slumped following CEO Christine Day's resignation, according to a Reuters report.

Reuters goes on to cite a Wall Street Journal report — which in turn cites InsiderScore.com, a site which tracks insider trading and institutional ownership — that Wilson set up plans to sell stock back in December. Wilson founded the company in 1998 and remains its largest voting shareholder.