Trading Partners

York, Pa. -- The Bon-Ton Stores, Inc. announced the appointment of Kathryn Bufano to the position of president and CEO, effective Aug. 25. Bufano has served as the president and chief merchandising officer of Belk Inc. since 2010.

Bufano replaces outgoing president and CEO Brendan Hoffman, who announced his resignation.

New York -- A report by Bloomberg said that investor BlueCrest Capital Management is urging RadioShack to repay the lenders that are blocking plans to shutter stores.

The electronics retailer announced last March that it would close 1,100 stores; it later reduced the number of closures to 200 per year for three years after negotiations with lenders failed.

BlueCrest said it supported the company's decision to shut stores to stem losses and was willing to provide financing, Bloomberg said.
 

Bangalore, India – Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart has received about $1 billion in funding from investors including existing backer Tiger Global Management, as well as new stakeholders Morgan Stanley and Singapore-based sovereign wealth fund GIC. Flipkart operates as an online marketplace for 3,000 individual merchants, similar to China’s Alibaba.com.

Matthews, N.C. – Activist investor Carl Icahn, who had been pressuring Family Dollar to sell the company, has reduced his ownership stake in the company from 9.39% to 6.09%.

Phoenix – Jana Partners, the largest shareholder in PetSmart by one million shares with a 9.9% disclosed ownership stake, is pressuring PetSmart to sell the company. In a letter to the PetSmart board of directors, Jana said it will seek to install new, pro-sale board members at the upcoming annual meeting if PetSmart does not start seeking a sale.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) is highly critical of a decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recommending that McDonald’s and its franchisees should be considered joint employers. According to the NRF, this move would stall job growth and diminish capital investment by making it easier for fast food workers to unionize.

Dallas -- Tuesday Morning Corp. has named Jim Wade, a 35-year retail veteran, as an independent member of the company's board of directors, effective immediately. He will serve on the company's Audit Committee.

Wade currently serves on the board of directors and Finance Committee for Advance Auto Parts Inc. He first joined Advance Auto Parts in 1994 as treasurer, and retired as president in 2011 with responsibilities including store operations and both the DIY and commercial businesses.  

Deerfield, Ill. -- Jerry Stephens has joined collaborative supply chain planning technology provider Market6 as VP, responsible for Market6's business with Kroger and their suppliers. Stephens joins Market6 from Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (DPGS) where he led DPSG's Kroger account team since 2011 and oversaw all aspects of sales, business development and strategic account planning.