Labor & Employment

Chicago -- A Thursday report compiled by Reuters and published in the Chicago Tribune said that U.S. authorities are weighing whether or not to launch a wide-scale investigation of the retail industry for bribery violations.

The news comes after Wal-Mart de Mexico came under scrutiny for potentially violating an anti-foreign bribery law, allegedly orchestrating bribes of $24 million to facilitate its growth in the region.     

El Segundo, Calif. -- A Thursday report by Supermarket News said that Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market has eliminated as many as 40 positions at its corporate offices.

While the number of layoffs has not been confirmed, sources say it nears 40 jobs, mostly in real estate and store-opening support.
 

Toronto -- Canadian retailer Hudson's Bay Co. said Thursday it will shutter most of the remaining 64 Zellers stores that aren’t being converted to Target locations.

The Zellers parent sold the majority of the leases to Target Corp. last year. Many of the remaining 64 stores are expected to close by March 2013. Those that aren’t closed could potentially open under another retail banner, said Hudson’s Bay.
 

New Orleans -- New Orleans has rolled out the red carpet in order to assure the first Costco location in the state.

The city council on Thursday unanimously approved nearly $6 million in financial incentives for a planned Costco in the New Orleans suburb of Carrollton.  
 
The $45 million, 148,000-sq.-ft. Costco marks the warehouse club operator’s state debut, to reportedly be followed by a second in the capital city of Baton Rouge.

The New Orleans store is slated to open late summer 2013.
 

Eugene Fife is the newest member of the Office Depot board.

The office products retailer added Fife to the board after James Rubin stepped down. Rubin was required to give up his seat because of a stipulation in an investor rights agreement Office Depot struck with BC Partners in 2009 that gave the firm three board seats after it made a sizable investment. The agreement required BC Partners board members to be employed by the firm and because Rubin recently resigned from BC Partners he was no longer allowed to serve on the Office Depot board.

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Shopko has hired a long-time retail marketing executive, with extensive experience in the beauty and apparel sectors, to help develop the Shopko brand as it moves forward with the conversion of its newly acquired Pamida stores to the Shopko Hometown format.

Most Americans are locked in a struggle to make ends meet, which is why Walmart’s message of saving people money so they can live better is resonating stronger than ever.

Los Angeles -- CBRE Group said it has named Cal Frese as CEO of the company’s Americas business. In this role, Frese has responsibility for leading CBRE’s largest business segment, with more than $3 billion of annual revenue and more than 20,000 employees.

By Jason Hamilton, [email protected]

On the job hunt, experience matters.

Or, does it? Maybe not as much as many job seekers and hourly employers might think.

San Francisco -- A federal lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc. was filed on Wednesday, by disability rights advocates claiming that payment machines are inaccessible to California customers in wheelchairs and on scooters.