Strategy

Dublin, Calif. - Ross Dress for Less will open two new stores in North Florida on Oct. 11. The stores are located in the Lakeland Park Center in Lakeland and Forest Lakes Plaza in Oldsmar.  

These new openings are part of the retailer’s 2014 expansion program, totaling approximately 75 new locations during the year.

Belk, Discovery Education and the International Society for Technology in Education have launched the Belk Service Learning Challenge, a comprehensive standards-aligned program encouraging middle school students to facilitate positive changes in their communities by applying critical thinking, problem-solving and creativity skills to a service-learning project of their choice.

Plano, Texas - Rent-A-Center Inc. has named Jana Kelly to VP of inventory management. Reporting to John Butler, senior VP, supply chain, Kelly will lead the forecasting, inventory planning, allocation and replenishment of all domestic store products.

Kelly brings more than 14 years of experience in inventory-management leadership, most recently at MetroPCS Communications, where she led the mobile device supply chain strategy.

Seattle - Starbucks Corp. opens its first community store in Korea, located in the Daehakro neighborhood of Seoul, on Oct. 1. Thirty cents from every purchase at this store will go to Green Umbrella ChildFund Korea (GUCFK) to directly support lifelong skills development for youth through the Starbucks Comprehensive Youth Leadership Program.

Branded lifestyle apparel and footwear company VF Corporation has promoted Scott A. Roe, currently VP, controller and chief accounting officer, as CFO. Roe replaces SVP and CFO Robert K. Shearer, who announced plans to retire in March 2015, after 28 years with the company.

Washington, D.C. -- Madison Marquette Retail Services (MMRS), a national real estate development, leasing and management firm specializing in infill, mixed-use, community and specialty retail properties, has named Lori Coleman VP, management services, California. In her new role, Coleman will oversee the company’s entire California portfolio, which includes 4.8 million sq. ft. across 18 properties.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Trademark Property Co., a retail and mixed-use investor, developer and operator, has welcomed three national big box stores to Alliance Town Center. DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse), Men’s Wearhouse and Sleep Experts have all opened at the 1 million-sq.-ft. outdoor shopping center in Fort Worth, Texas.

DSW is leasing 15,000-sq.-ft. at the shopping center. The new Men’s Wearhouse location totals 5,500-sq.-ft. and the new Sleep Experts store measures 4,500-sq.-ft.

Greensboro, N.C. -- VF Corporation announced that senior VP and CFO Robert K. Shearer will retire in March 2015, after 28 years with the company. Scott A. Roe, 49, currently VP, controller and chief accounting officer, will succeed Shearer as CFO.