Labor & Employment

ST. LOUIS — Build-A-Bear Workshop’s board of directors has appointed Sharon Price John as CEO and chief president bear. She replaces Maxine Clark, who announced earlier this year her plans to retire from her chief executive bear position. 

Clark will remain a member of the board. 

St. Louis -- Brown Shoe Co. said Monday that president and CEO Diane Sullivan has been named chairman of the board, effective Feb. 2, 2014.

Current chairman Ron Fromm will step down but remain a member of Brown’s board.

Sullivan joined Brown Shoe in 2004 as president.

NEW YORK — Chairman, president and CEO of Macy’s Terry J. Lundgren will be one of three men honored at the 72nd annual Father of the Year awards luncheon to be held Tuesday, June 11, at the Grand Hyatt New York Hotel. 

Lundgren will be in the company of President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the nation’s 42nd Commander-in-Chief, and Major Jackson Drumgoole II, who served four tours in Iraq. 

ST. LOUIS — Brown Shoe Company’s president and CEO Diane Sullivan will have new shoes to fill as chairman of the board, effective Feb. 2, 2014, once Ron Fromm steps down as chair. Fromm will remain a member of the board.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will hold its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Friday, June 7, including an executive update by president and CEO Mike Duke.

As many as 14,000 global Walmart associates are also attending the event, most arriving in time for elaborate pre-meeting activities. "Our success is only possible because of the hard work and dedication of our 2.2 million associates around the world,” said Susan Chambers, executive VP global people, at Walmart.

NEW YORK — Nina Footwear has appointed Alan Johnson as president of Nina Footwear Corp, a newly created position at the company. In his new role, Johnson will oversee design, sales and marketing for Delman and all Nina branded divisions, including shoes, bridal, handbags and kids.  

NEW YORK — Tiffany & Co. plans to open a two-level shop in Moscow’s GUM department store, the city’s leading luxury shopping destination, located in Red Square. The 4,520-sq.-ft. space is the jeweler’s first wholly owned retail business in Russia, and is expected to open in the first quarter 2014.

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumer spending dropped 0.2% in April 2013, according to the Commerce Department.

It was the first monthly decline since May of last year and follows increases of 0.1% in March and 0.8% in February. Falling gas prices in April were part of the reason for the drop in spending, with purchases of gas, electricity and other energy goods and services down 4.4%.

In addition, increased Social Security deductions in consumer paychecks may have also contributed to the decline in spending.