Labor & Employment

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation announced that it has sent a letter to the congressional “super committee” on deficit reduction urging the panel to focus on initiatives that will boost the economy and create jobs.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — eBay has announced that Devin Wenig is joining the company as president of its global eBay Marketplaces business unit, which includes eBay, the world’s leading online marketplace; eBay classifieds sites in more than 1,000 cities worldwide; and StubHub, the world’s largest online tickets marketplace. Wenig will report to eBay Inc. president and CEO John Donahoe.

Beaumont, Texas -- Conn's said Wednesday it lost $3.4 million in the second quarter, compared to net income of $1.6 million the year before. The company said that the loss was due to one-time charges, which included $3.7 million for closing three stores and $11.1 million for repaying a loan earlier than expected. Without those items, the company would have earned $5.5 million.

Revenue fell 13% to $184.4 million on declining sales of TVs and computers.

Columbus, Ohio -- Casto said Wednesday that Larry Schwenker has joined the firm as VP property management.

Schwenker’s primary focus will be on the organization’s Midwest and Alabama commercial portfolio, which totals approximately 15 million sq. ft.

Schwenker was most recently a principal at Bryant Management Services, based in Atlanta.
 

Washington, D.C. -- Grosvenor Americas said Wednesday it has appointed Jonathan E. Carr to the position of development manager in the company’s Washington, D.C., office. He previously held the same title in Grosvenor Americas’ San Francisco office.

The company also announced that Michael Ward has been appointed to the position of VP in the company’s Calgary office. He previously served as VP for Grosvenor Americas in Washington, D.C.
 

Target last week announced the donation $250,000 in cash and product to assist with Hurricane Irene relief efforts, pushing the total amount the company has committed to domestic disaster relief to more than $1 million. The donations will be distributed among relief agencies including The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. In addition, Target is giving gift cards and 10,000 relief kits to other local, regional and national nonprofit organizations for such essentials as water and food.

CINCINNATI — Kroger has announced the promotion of Joe Fey as president of the Quality Food Centers (QFC) division.

Fey, 57, has been VP merchandising for the company's Michigan division. He succeeds Donna Giordano, who was recently promoted to president of the Ralphs division in California.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- Kronos said Tuesday that its latest Kronos Retail Labor Index, which characterized the current state of the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector for the month of August, was unchanged from the month prior. The index, which defines the ratio of hires to applicants within a given month, expressed as a percentage, was unchanged at 3.5% in August 2011, as both hires and applications increased slightly, all on a seasonally adjusted basis.

Mexico City -- Chicago- and Atlanta-based Jones Lang LaSalle announced a major expansion of the firm’s full-service operations in Mexico with the addition of retail services.

The firm said it has hired Luis Llaca to focus on a wide range of retail services across Mexico, reporting to Pedro Azcue, CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle Mexico.

Luis was previously VP of retail operations in Mexico for CB Richard Ellis.    
 

New York City -- A Friday report by Reuters said that a former Borders Group employee is attempting to represent a class of about 300 Ann Arbor, Mich., workers in suing the bankrupt retailer for not giving proper notice of impending mass layoffs.