Strategy

The Senate has voted unanimously to confirm former Walmart Foundation President Sylvia Mathews Burwell as White House budget director, according to a Reuters report.

The report went on to state that the 96-0 vote marks the first time the White House has had a fully confirmed budget director since January 2012, when Jack Lew, now Treasury Secretary, left the position to become Obama's chief of staff.

Secaucus, N.J. -- The Children's Place said Wednesday that current CFO Michael Scarpa has also been appointed COO, effective immediately.

Scarpa will continue to oversee finance, information technology, distribution, logistics and wholesale, and will add store operations, store development and international to his current responsibilities.

Prior to joining The Children's Place, Scarpa was COO and CFO of The Talbots.

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar is utilizing TAS Unity, a browser-based enterprise market knowledge system designed to aid retail real estate management from Trade Area Systems.

EMERYVILLE, Calif. — Clif Bar & Company has promoted president and COO Kevin Cleary to CEO. In his new role, Cleary will focus on expanding Clif Bar’s growth in the sports nutrition and healthy snacks category while continuing to lead the company’s day-to-day business operations. 

Owners Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford will continue as co-chairs of Clif Bar & Company’s board of directors and become co-chief visionary officers guiding the company’s Five Aspirations business model.

Matthews, N.C. -- Discount retailer Family Dollar is utilizing TAS Unity, a browser-based enterprise market knowledge  system designed to aid retail real estate management from Trade AreaSystems.
 

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — OfficeMax has been awarded the National Employment Team 2013 “Private Sector Business of the Year” by the Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR) for its commitment to employing people with disabilities, including veterans.

OfficeMax is one of two organizations — and the only private sector company — to receive this year's CSAVR distinction.

New York -- Another Ron Johnson-appointee and former Apple executive has left J.C. Penney. Ben Fay, who was brought as EVP real estate, store design and development, has left the company, according to the Dallas Morning News. Returning to Penney in an advisory capacity is the chain's former SVP of property development, Tom Clerkin, who took early retirement from the company last year, the report said.

New York -- The Jones Group Inc. announced Monday that it will put into action a series of events designed to shore up profitability, the most significant of which includes shuttering 170 underperforming stores in the U.S. by mid-2014.

The stores identified for closure include 50 units previously announced in the fourth quarter.