Strategy

The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. has a new finance chief to help the company strengthen its balance sheet.

The retailer has named Nancy A. Walsh to the position of executive VP, CFO of the company, effective Nov. 9. Walsh will have responsibility for Accounting, Treasury, Tax, Credit, Investor Relations, Legal and Internal Audit.

Veteran Safeway merchant Toby Noiles has joined Sam’s Club in a senior role as the warehouse club operator creates a new organizational structure for its food and beverage business.

Noiles was named senior VP and general merchandise manager of grocery and beverage and joins Sam’s Club from the online grocery delivery company Fresh Direct where she served as chief merchandising officer. Noiles was with Fresh Direct only seven months but prior to that she spent 29 years with Safeway and held a wide range of merchandising roles.

DSW Inc. has promoted its omnichannel retailing chief to be its new CEO as the company positions itself for long-term growth.

The company said Roger L. Rawlins, executive VP and CIO, will succeed Michael R. MacDonald as CEO effective Jan. 1. MacDonald, who is retiring from DSW and from the board of directors, will remain with the company through the end of the year to help ensure a smooth transition. Rawlins will be appointed to the DSW board effective Jan. 1.

Establishing an Internet of Things (IoT) technology strategy may not be easy, but can offer substantial rewards to retailers who overcome the inevitable challenges.

“There is a vast opportunity to use IoT technology to connect retailers with their assets and consumers,” said Michael Colaneri, VP of sales for restaurant, retail and CPG, AT&T, during an exclusive interview with Chain Store Age. “But it requires business process re-engineering to connect multiple edgepoints.”

L.L.Bean has gone outside the company for the first time ever to pick a chief executive, according to the Associated Press.

The outdoors retailer has selected the chief merchandising and marketing officer of a Chinese e-commerce business as its new CEO.

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Whole Foods is trying to get its groove back, but after reporting weak fourth quarter results it is not clear when that will be as the company expressed concern about the competitive climate and the impact on its profit margins.

Who are the leading women working in retail technology? Chain Store Age is accepting nominations for its annual feature recognizing female retail executives who are helping to transform the industry through technology.

The “Top 10 Women in Retail Tech” will celebrate the achievements of retail executives from all areas of technology. The winners will be profiled in a special section of the January 2016 issue of Chain Store Age as well as in an online report on chainstoreage.com

More than 100 senior retail executives are already confirmed as speakers for a first-of-its-kind event called Shoptalk that will be held next May with a focus on next generation commerce.

Organizers of the event have confirmed speaker participants including Jason Goldberger, president of Target.com and mobile; Casey Carl, Target chief strategy and innovation officer; Joe Megibow, chief digital officer at American Eagle Outfitters; John Koryl, president of Neiman Marcus stores and online and Andrea Wasserman, senior VP and head of direct-to-consumer at Nine West Group.

American Eagle Outfitters has entered into an acquisition that could eventually see it open hundreds of new stores, and also enter a more upscale market. The teen apparel retailer has acquired upscale menswear brand Todd Synder, along with Snyder’s Tailgate Clothing Co., a vintage sports-inspired brand that operates a college-town store concept. American Eagle sees the potential to open as many as 200 Tailgate stores at universities nationwide, starting with Southeastern Conference and Big Ten colleges, according to the New York Times.