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.     

SAN FRANCISCO — Williams-Sonoma has promoted Julie Whalen, SVP, acting CFO, has been appointed EVP, CFO.

HAMILTON, BERMUDA — Specialty retail jeweler, Signet Jewelers, has named a Procter & Gamble executive to its board of directors.

Virginia Drosos, group president global beauty, skin, cosmetics and personal care for Procter & Gamble, who will retire from this position effective Sept. 1, joined the Signet board on July 25.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.