Labor & Employment

Washington -- Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 2.3% in January over the same month last year as retailers continue to urge labor and management to avoid a strike at East Coast and Gulf Coast docks, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. A strike would close 14 ports from Maine to Texas where nearly 15,000 dockworkers handle 40% of the nation’s ocean cargo.


ATLANTA — First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing, has announced that CEO Jon Judge plans to retire from the company for health reasons.

First Data offers e-commerce solutions to merchants, financial institutions and their customers. First Data leverages its product portfolio and expertise to drive customer revenue and profitability, and facilitates payment by debit or credit card, gift card, check or mobile phone, online or at the checkout counter.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores announced that Enrique Ostale, president and CEO of Walmart Chile, formerly D&S, has been named EVP, president and CEO of Walmart Latin America, where he will oversee Walmart's operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Nicaragua.

SUFFERN, N.Y. — Ascena Retail Group reported a lower than expected 2% decline in same store sales at physical stores for the November and December holiday period, but managed a 30% increase in online sales.

Combined comparable store and e-commerce sales for the holiday period ended December 29, 2012 increased 1%, prompting Ascena to lower earnings per share guidance for its current fiscal year ending July 27.

Walmart has committed $670,000 to help fund a first-of-its-kind program in its home state known as the Arkansas Payment Improvement Initiative (APII).

New York -- Modell’s Sporting Goods said Wednesday it has named Charles Castaneda chief merchandising officer for the chain, a promotion from his current position of EVP planning and allocations.

The company has also moved Jay O’Brien from general merchandising manager of footwear to general merchandising manager of sporting goods, to succeed the recently departed Bill Hackett.  

Jeff Schaffer has been promoted to general merchandising manager of footwear.

Washington, D.C. -- The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index fell to minus 34.4 in the seven days ended Jan. 6 from minus 31.8 the prior period, the biggest one-week drop since August. Jobless claims increased by 4,000 to 371,000 in the week ended Jan. 5, according to Labor Department figures.

MINNEAPOLIS — In a move that will reunite all Albertsons stores under one operator, Supervalu on Thursday morning announced a definitive agreement under which it will sell 877 stores across the Albertsons, Acme, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s and Star Market banners and related Osco and Sav-on in-store pharmacies to AB Acquisition, an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, in a transaction valued at $3.3 billion.