Labor & Employment

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar has inked a partnership with a national leader in health-and-wellness solutions to further drive the retailer's commitment to proactively engage in activities that encourage healthy living.

CINCINNATI — Kroger has become a member of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Million Dollar Club. The USHCC Million Dollar Club recognizes corporations that are leaders in supplier diversity and integrating Hispanic business enterprises into their strategic sourcing and procurement process. Corporations qualify by spending between $25 million to more than $500 million with Hispanic suppliers in the previous year.

This is Kroger's third consecutive year of qualifying for membership.

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. — Wet Seal merchandising executive, Harriet Sustarsic has left the company to become SVP, general merchandise manager for True Religion Brand Jeans.

Sustarsic was serving as division chief merchandising officer and will remain with the company until Oct. 19 to assist with the transition. Kim Bajrech and Debbie Shinn have assumed senior leadership of the Wet Seal merchandising organization, which they previously shared on an interim basis from November 2009 through November 2011.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- The Kronos Retail Labor Index (RLI) rose to 4.5% in September, the highest reading in four years. (The Index is defined as the ratio of hires to applications within a given month, expressed as a percentage. A level of 3.0% means that for every 100 applications received, three hires occurred.)

Foothills Ranch, Calif. -- The chairman of The Wet Seal and three other directors have stepped down from its board, replaced by four nominees of the Clinton Group. The move follows several attempts by the activist investor group, which holds about 7% of Wet Seal, to take control of the struggling retailer.

As a result of the board changes, Clinton Group has agreed to terminate its effort to get support from shareholders for its nominees, Wet Seal said Friday.

Deciding back in January 2011 to spend roughly $1.8 billion to acquire 220 Zellers’ leases was easy compared to the challenge Target has undertaken more recently in Canada.

ST. LOUIS — Ralcorp Holdings has named Keith Meister, the founder and managing partner of Corvex Management LP, to its board of directors, effective immediately.  In addition, Meister will join the strategy and financial oversight committee which is charged by the board of directors with the evaluation of strategic opportunities to drive shareholder value.

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. — Teen retailer Wet Seal continues to urge its shareholders to reject efforts by Clinton Group to replace the company’s current experienced directors with Clinton Group’s hand-picked nominees who lack relevant experience.

New York -- Three female employees of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. filed a lawsuit Thursday in federal court in South Florida claiming the company discriminates against women in areas such as wages and promotion opportunities, the Associated Press reported.

The potential class-action lawsuit follows similar lawsuits recently filed in Tennessee, Texas and California. It also follows a 2011 U.S. Supreme Court decision that tossed out a national gender bias lawsuit seeking to represent some 1.6 million female Wal-Mart workers.

New York -- The Wet Seal Inc. encouraged its shareholders on Wednesday to reject efforts by its third-largest investor, Clinton Group, to gain control of the board, Reuters reported. The company's board has eight seats, of which one is vacant.

Clinton, which holds approximately 7% of Wet Seal, said retailer earlier in the day backtracked on an offer, made via an investment banker, for four directors to resign in exchange for the activist investor ending its move, according to the report.