Corporate Governance

The blockbuster $26.2 billion purchase of LinkedIn by Microsoft may benefit retailers trying to effectively recruit and manage employees who typically do not stick around for long.   The acquisition is being touted as Microsoft’s entry into social networking, an area where the tech titan has not been that active besides holding a stake in Facebook. However, LinkedIn is primarily a professional services platform and will probably not become a major consumer touchpoint anytime soon.  

PGA Tour Superstore opened its 26th store to date — and first store in Minnesota — on June 11.   Located in Minnetonka, in a previous Sports Authority location, the 41,000-sq.-ft. store has 12 interactive simulators, practice hitting bays, a large putting green measuring more than 1,500 sq. ft. and an in-house club-making and repair facility to provide an interactive experience to golf enthusiasts of all levels.  

Design is at the heart of Ethan Allen’s new “Design Center” retail format, which opened in Rockville, Maryland.   The store showcases the company’s new interactive design service and brings its robust website to life. The open floor plan has design stations and large touchscreens that invite customers to work directly on projects with the company’s design professionals in a space outfitted with the latest technology.   

Blue Nile jumped into the physical space last summer with a store at Roosevelt Field mall in Garden City, New York, but it’s not stopping there.   The online jeweler has opened two additional locations, at Tysons Corner Center mall in Fairfax County, Virginia, and at The Westchester mall in White Plains, New York. Blue Nile will open a fourth store later this summer, at the Washington Square mall in Portland, Oregon.  

Aéropostale has received final approval for $160 million in debtor in-possession financing provided by Crystal Financial LLC.

Amazon is lending its considerable logistics expertise to a major food bank in New Jersey.

The Internet giant sent three logistics experts to tour the Community FoodBank’s 285,000-sq.-ft. warehouse in Hillside, New Jersey, and suggested ways the agency can run more efficiently, NJ Advance Media reported.

Wal-Mart Stores is undertaking a series of executive changes at its international divisions, starting with a new head for its struggling United Kingdom business, Asda.
 
Andy Clarke, president and CEO of Asda, will step down on July 11, after having worked at the British company for more than 20 years. Asda has been under heavy competitive pressure and has reported seven straight quarterly sales declines.

In their never-ending quest to make the store shopping experience as seamless and painless as possible, an increasing number of retailers are offering variants of curbside pickup.   This simply means consumers can order goods online and then have the items delivered to their car as they wait, usually within five to 10 minutes. Some retailers accept payment ahead of time, while others execute the transaction on the spot with a mobile POS device.  

A retailer that specializes in reproductions of classic lighting products and house parts is quietly expanding under the ownership of Williams-Sonoma.   

Days after announcing its “Way Forward Plan” reorganizational plan, Ralph Lauren Corp. named three new senior executives who will help oversee it.