Corporate Governance

Nordstrom is realigning and streamlining its top technology positions.    The company said that Dan Little, Nordstrom’s chief information officer, plans to retire next fall. Little joined Nordstrom in 2002, as VP, supply chain strategy. He was named to his current position in 2014.  

Lowe's Companies has promoted a 20-year company veteran to CFO.   The retailer announced that Marshall A. Croom will succeed Robert F. (Bob) Hull Jr. as chief financial officer, effective March 3. Hull plans to retire after 17 years with the company.   

A Wireless, which operates more than 1,140 Verizon-branded stores in 46 states, has appointed 26-year retail veteran George Sherman as its new CEO.   Most recently, Sherman was president and also served as interim CEO for Advance Auto Parts. Prior to that, he was senior VP, global services and president, Best Buy Services for Best Buy from 2009 until 2013.  

Nine West Holdings has entered into an agreement to purchase a 30-years plus women’s apparel company.     Nine West said it has used the net proceeds from the December 2016 sale of its Easy Spirit wholesale business to purchase the Kasper Group. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.        The Kasper Group's apparel is sold under its flagship Kasper and other well-known brand names.    

Retail sales weren’t the only thing that rose during the 2016 holiday season.    Fraud attempts increased by 31% during the past holiday season, according to data from ACI Worldwide, which, on the positive side, found the number of overall transactions increased by 16%.   

Supervalu has appointed Anne Dament to senior VP of retail, merchandising and marketing, effective immediately.   Dament is a 25-year retail veteran who began her career at Supervalu. She most recently served as senior VP, president of merchandising for Target Corp., where she oversaw food merchandising for its grocery business, including perishables, non-perishables, food service and private-label brands.  

Nearly half of retailer leaders will be out of business if they don’t transform themselves digitally.   This is according to “Reinventing Retail: Cisco Reveals How Stores Can Surge Ahead on the Digital Transformation Journey,” a study based on data from 200 retail executives from North and South America and regions of Europe. Companies represent brick-and-mortar retailers, e-commerce, apparel manufacturers, food service and other segments of retail.  

Phillips Edison & Company, a leading national player in grocery-anchored centers, has promoted David Wik to senior VP of acquisitions.   In his past six years with the company, most recently spearheading growth in the Southeast, Wik sourced the acquisition of more than 100 assets representing $1 billion-plus in investments for the company’s several REITs. He previously worked in acquisitions at Midland Atlantic Development.