Strategy

EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — GE Lighting has named John Strainic, a leader with a as head of the business’s North America Consumer Lighting operation. In this newly created role, Strainic will be responsible for driving growth for GE Lighting’s North America consumer business.

New York -- Hennes & Mauritz AB has cut a deal to open in Manhattan’s Times Square, the New York Post reported.

According to the report, H&M will move into the three-floor, 42,510-sq.-ft. space at 4 Times Square that was previously occupied by the restaurant ESPN Zone. The space, which has been vacant for some two years, includes two huge billboards that wrap above the store’s facade along Broadway and West 42nd Street.

New York -- Some businesses are coming up short with their restroom facilities, according to a survey by Bradley Corp., a manufacturer of commercial plumbing fixtures. Fifty-one percent of survey respondents reported having had a particularly unpleasant experience in a public restroom due to the condition of the facilities.  

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway SVP human resources, Russ Jackson, has been named by Human Resource Executive magazine to the 2012 HR Honor Roll. Jackson will be recognized by the publication on Oct. 9 at a black tie awards dinner at the University Club of Chicago.

"Russ is a transformational architect within Safeway," said Safeway EVP, Larree Renda. "With his vision, insight and drive for results, he has built a human resources organization that is a powerful accelerator of change."

Chicago -- Brightstar Corp., a global provider of diversified solutions for the wireless device industry, announced that the company has been selected by Best Buy Co. to manage the retailer's entire inventory of returned mobile devices in the U.S.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Dollar General is the overall basket price leader, delivering a substantial savings to value shoppers, according to Kantar Retail's second annual opening price point survey. Walgreens, for the second year, had the most expensive total basket, driven by sharply higher edible and nonedible grocery baskets.

New York -- More than half (53%) of middle market executives believe that their companies are on solid ground, according to a survey by CIT Group Inc., a leading provider of financing to small businesses and middle market companies. (In order to be eligible to participate in the survey, respondents had to be in a leadership role at firms with revenues between $25 million and $1 billion, the majority of whose employees were based in the United States.)

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart and American Express have teamed up to offer customers an alternative to debit and checking accounts. The new service, called Bluebird, is designed to provide financial services to customers who often do not have traditional bank accounts. It will allow for deposits by smartphone and mobile bill paying, with no minimum balance or monthly, annual or overdraft fees.