Labor & Employment

NEW YORK — Retailer Saks Incorporated will be closing its Saks Fifth Avenue store located in the WestShore Plaza in Tampa, Fla., May 4.

“This planned closing is in line with our strategy of using our resources in our most productive Saks Fifth Avenue stores. We regularly assess the productivity, profitability and potential of each of our stores and may determine that a closing is appropriate from time to time,” said Steve Sadove, chairman and CEO of Saks.

New York -- Wal-Mart Stores CEO Mike Duke received pay package in 2012 worth $20.7 million, up 14% from the previous year, according to an Associated Press analysis of a regulatory filing Monday. Duke's performance-based cash bonus jumped more than 50%.

In the regulatory filing, Wal-Mart said that starting this year, it will tie some of Duke's compensation, along with that of other top executives, to the company's success in strengthening its compliance controls. Traditionally, compensation has been based on financial measures.

New York -- Saks Inc. says it plans to close its Saks Fifth Avenue store in WestShore Plaza in Tampa, Fla., on May 4.

Steve Sadove, chairman and CEO of Saks, commented: “This planned closing is in line with our strategy of using our resources in our most productive Saks Fifth Avenue stores. We regularly assess the productivity, profitability, and potential of each of our stores and may determine that a closing is appropriate from time to time.”

Naperville, Ill. -- OfficeMax has been awarded the National Employment Team 2013 “Private Sector Business of the Year” by the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) for its commitment to employing people with disabilities, including veterans.

OfficeMax is one of two organizations — and the only private sector company — to receive this year's CSAVR distinction.

PLANO, Texas — J. C. Penney has promoted Brynn Evanson to EVP of human resources. Evanson will lead all HR functions across stores, supply chain and the home office, including team member relations, recruiting, learning and development, compensation and benefits and talent operations. She will also join the company's executive board, reporting to CEO Myron E. Ullman.

New York -- Coach on Tuesday reported that its net income for three-month period ending on March 30 rose 6.2% to $238.9 million amid strong sales in North America, beating analysts’ expectations. The company also disclosed that its longtime president and executive creative director, Reed Krakoff, will step down when his contract expires next year in order to focus on his own namesake brand, which is owned by Coach. Coach said it is already looking for a successor.

Plano, Texas -- J. C. Penney Company announced the promotion of Brynn Evanson to EVP human resources, leading all HR functions across stores, supply chain and the home office, including team member relations, recruiting, learning and development, compensation and benefits, and talent operations. Evanson will join the company`s executive board, reporting to CEO Myron E. (Mike) Ullman, III.

Evanson, 44, joined J.C. Penney in 2009 and most recently served as VP compensation, benefits and talent operations.
 

New York -- Investment firm Starboard Value, Office Depot’s largest stockholder with a 14.8% stake, revealed Monday it has delivered a letter to the office supply retailer’s board of directors, expressing “strong disappointment at the board's failure to work constructively with Starboard to reconstitute the board.”

In March, Starboard nominated six candidates, including former Home Depot chief Robert Nardelli – to Office Depot’s board in an effort to strengthen the company’s direction.