Labor & Employment

Toy maker Jakks Pacific secured a $75 million credit facility from GE Capital.

The nine year old company based in Malibu, Calif., plans to use proceeds for working capital, capital expenditures and general corporate purposes as needed.

The nation’s largest egg producer, Cal-Maine Foods, named Wil Webb to a new role as vp of operations.

Webb will be responsible for the company’s extensive production facilities in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi and reports to Cal-Maine COO Sherman Miller. Webb has been employed with Cal-Maine Foods since 1997 and most recently served as general manager of the company’s operations in Edwards, Mississippi.

New York -- H & M, Hennes & Mauritz AB opens its first Hawaii store in Waikiki on March 28. The store features a one-of-a-kind installation featuring artwork of local surf photographers Mike Coots, Sarah Lee and Zak Noyle.

The Waikiki store has hired 160 local employees.

Hampshire Group has promoted David Price to the role of chief operating officer. Price held the role of SVP of operations at Hampshire Group since 2012.

He will report to chairman and CEO Paul Buxbaum, and will oversee operations in all divisions of Hampshire Group.

“We are thrilled to promote David into the role of COO. David has been an integral part of the turnaround effort of Hampshire Group, and he will serve an even more important role in building the business going forward,” said Buxbaum.

Mars Chocolate’s global president Grant F. Reid has been named by the company’s board of directors as president, effective Jan. 2, 2015. Reid will take over for current Mars president Paul S. Michaels, who plans to retire at the end of the year.

Phoenix -- PetSmart on Friday celebrated the opening of a new distribution center in Berks County, Pa.

The new facility will bring an estimated 500 jobs to Berks County by the end of 2016. The 870,000-sq.-ft. DC will serve 25% of PetSmart’s stores in eleven states, handling and delivering consumables, hard goods and fish to 170 PetSmart stores in 2014 and more than 260 stores by 2015.

PetSmart CEO David Lenhardt was joined by Lt. Governor Jim Cawley of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Congressman Charlie Dent (PA-15) at the grand opening of PetSmart’s new distribution center (DC) in Berks County, Pa.

This DC will bring an estimated 500 jobs to Berks County by the end of 2016. The 870,000-sq.-ft. facility will serve 25% of PetSmart’s stores in 11 states, handling and delivering consumables, hard goods and fish to 170 PetSmart stores in 2014 and more than 260 stores by 2015.

Minneapolis – Senators John D. Rockefeller (D. - W.V.) and Richard Blumenthal (D. – Conn.) publicly criticized Target’s handling of its 2013 data breach during testimony by Target CFO John J. Mulligan in front of the Senate Commerce Committee, which Rockefeller chairs. The senators said that Target’s management did not pay attention to signals from its security software and that it is time for the retail industry to make changes.