Strategy

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples has nominated Dr. Drew Faust, president of Harvard University, to its board of directors. The election of directors will take place at the company’s annual meeting, scheduled for June 4.

Walmart is the nation’s largest food retailer, and 140 million people shop its stores each week, yet somehow the company ranked second to last on a ranking of the best and worst supermarkets in America.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has committed $15,000 in cash and gift cards to assist the Texas communities impacted by recent tornados. Cash donations will be distributed to The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. In addition, Target has donated gift cards to other local nonprofit organizations for essentials such as water and food.

Woonsocket, R.I. -- A report on Friday by the Wall Street Journal said that CVS Caremark CIO Stuart McGuigan has left the drugstore retailer, and will be holding the same position at Johnson & Johnson.

According to the report, originally published in CIO Journal, McGuigan will begin work later this month at J&J.

McGuigan joined CVS Caremark in 2008, and oversaw the post-merger IT integration of CVS and Caremark following their deal, which was completed in early 2007.
 

Washington, D.C. -- Douglas Development said that J. Crew and yoga and spinning studio The Art of SpYn will open at its Penn Quarter property, in Washington, D.C.

J. Crew is slated to open in August and The Art of SpYn is scheduled to open this spring.

New York City -- Prudential Douglas Elliman's Retail Group said it has orchestrated a long-term lease for Elijah Peters Optique at 1039 Third Avenue, between 61st and 62nd Streets.

The luxury boutique represents the Elijah Peters Optique's first U.S. flagship.
 

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- CBL & Associates Properties said it has appointed Jeff Curry as chief legal officer for the company.

Curry has been serving as interim chief legal officer for CBL since February 2012 and has served as an external legal advisor to CBL since 1986.

In his new role, Curry will oversee all of the company’s legal services, including real estate, corporate, securities and tax.
 

Toronto -- A spokesman for the Canadian Heritage Minister said Thursday that the government will conduct a review of Target’s store opening plans in the country to ensure its books, DVDs, music and other cultural products have enough Canadian content.

The review, which comes as Target is laying the groundwork to open in 2013 the first of 125 to 135 stores in former Zellers locations, falls under a “cultural heritage” provision in Canada’s foreign-takeover law.
 

Chesterfield, Mo. -- Bloomington Hills, Mich.-based mall owner Taubman said Thursday that it has broken ground on a high-end outlet mall in Chesterfield, Mo., in suburban St. Louis.

Taubman Prestige Outlets Chesterfield is slated to open in fall 2013 and will feature 450,000 sq. ft. of retail space with more than 100 stores, an open-air design, dog-friendly grounds, access to a levee-fitness trail and a food court.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- The Retail Labor Index released Thursday by Kronos Inc. indicated that applications for retail jobs are waning.

The April Index, which characterizes the March 2012 state of the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector, prepared by Macroeconomic Advisers, was down slightly in March to a still solid 4.3%. (The index is defined as the ratio of hires to applications within a given month, expressed as a percentage. A level of 3% means that for every 100 applications received, three hires occurred).