Corporate Governance

Apple’s App Store has been awash in recent weeks with hundreds of fake retail and product apps, the New York Times reported.  

Target Corp. continues to beef up its supply chain management capabilities.    The discounter announced it has appointed Shekar Natarajan to the newly-created role of senior VP, network planning and operational design, effective Nov. 20.   Natarajan, a 15-year supply chain veteran, was most recently VP of last mile operations, emerging sciences and operational excellence at Walmart. He also held leadership roles at Walt Disney Company, Anheuser Busch and PepsiCo.   

New York & Company appointed Michelle Pearlman as executive VP, e-commerce and chief marketing officer.   Pearlman, a member of the company’s board of directors since 2011, has resigned from her duties as a director to lead the company’s omnichannel strategy. In her new role, she will be responsible for the apparel retailer’s e-commerce business, as well as all marketing and visual aspects of the chain’s integrated omnichannel strategy.  

Toys “R” Us is looking to shake up its store experience.   The retailer has opened a new “experience-driven” prototype in Santa Ana, California, near South Coast Plaza, The Orange County Register reported.      

The bankruptcy of South Korean shipping giant Hanjin Shipping is forcing retail chains to spend lots of extra cash to get their goods through ports to warehouses in time for the holiday shopping season, the Los Angeles Times reported.   

Steadily climbing consumer confidence and retail sales growth have U.S. retail chief marketing officers feeling optimistic ahead of this holiday season.

Strong results in its PBM business provided a boost during CVS Health’s fiscal third quarter, with the retailer reporting a 23.6% increase in net earnings to $1.5 billion.   Revenue increased 15.5% to $6 billion for the period ended Sept. 30.   

When retail consisted mainly of brick and mortar stores, the role of the chief merchandising officer (CMO) focused almost exclusively on selecting merchandise, designing display strategies and planograms and driving category performance. This role was typically held by people who rose into the role as buyers. That’s because buyers first and foremost excel at spotting the next hottest trend while also having a keen eye on the dollars and cents side of the business.