Labor & Employment

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) issued the following statement in response to an announcement that the U.S. Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association have agreed to a 90-day extension of the collective bargaining agreement due to expire on Sept. 30.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Friday it will add about 50,000 seasonal associates to staff its stores this year, as well as offer additional hours to existing personnel.

“This is our busiest time of the year and we are focused even more on providing excellent service to our shoppers throughout the holiday season,” said Gisel Ruiz, executive VP and COO, Walmart U.S. “One way we do that is by ensuring our stores are adequately staffed by our associates.”

Executive compensation has always been a hot topic in corporate America — and the retail industry is no exception. These days, two trends are upping the attention paid to pay at the top: the ongoing move to performance-based equity, and the scrutiny compensation packages are receiving from increased SEC regulations and shareholder involvement.

CARY, N.C. — The Pantry, an independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern United States, announced that Joe Venezia is joining the executive leadership team as SVP operations.

Venezia joins The Pantry from TitleMax. In his new role at The Pantry, he will lead the company’s store operations and be focused on driving sales, improving store productivity, and leading a great store operations team.

MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu has named Kathy Persian as SVP and chief information officer. Persian joined the company in February 2010 in the role of group VP retail and merchandising systems, and later moved to group VP corporate planning, analysis and business process. Persian was named to the CIO post following the decision by Wayne Shurts to accept a position with another company. Shurts joined Supervalu in April 2010.

Richmond, Va. -- An annual seasonal hiring survey released Thursday by Snagajob indicates that more holiday jobs will be available this year than have been expected in any previous season in the study’s five-year history.  


The survey of more than 1,000 hourly hiring managers with responsibility for seasonal hiring, conducted by IPSOS Public Affairs for Snagajob, included the following highlights:

Minneapolis -- Supervalu on Thursday announced the appointment of Kathy Persian as senior VP and chief information officer of the company.  

Persian joined Supervalu in 2010 as group VP retail and merchandising systems, and later moved to group VP corporate planning, analysis and business process.

She replaces Wayne Shurts, who resigned to accept a position with another company.

Prior to Supervalu, Persian served as senior VP international business process and operations for Best Buy Co.

Cary, N.C. -- C-store operator The Pantry said Thursday it has named Joe Venezia as senior VP operations for the chain.

Venezia most recently worked at TitleMax, and before that served in regional general manager positions at Wal-Mart.

Foothills Ranch, Calif. -- The Wet Seal Inc. said Thursday it has dropped its temporary shareholder rights plan, citing feedback from stakeholders, and has proposed to expand its board to include two nominees of activist investor Clinton Group.

In July, Clinton Group, which owns approximately 7% of Wet Seal, called for a sale of the retailer, expressing dissatisfaction with its performance, and made a play for four seats on the board. In response, the retailer adopted a temporary shareholder rights plan with a 10% trigger.

New York -- A Thursday report by Wall Street Journal said that Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. has filed plans for an initial public offering of up to $150 million in common stock.

The retailer, which this week unveiled its new RH branding, is looking to the IPO to pay down debt. It was acquired in 2008 by Catterton Partners in a $179 million buyout and last month revealed a plan for reorganization on the heels of co-CEO Gary Friedman’s resignation following an internal probe into a relationship with a female employee.