Corporate Governance

There has been a lot of discussion in the last several years about the strength of the grocery sector. I think it’s clear that a big reason behind that success has been the evolution of different formats and the explosive growth of a new generation of grocery concepts that represent a significant departure from the traditional grocery model.

Camp Hill, Pa. — For the first time in five years, Rite Aid on Tuesday celebrated a grand opening of a store built from the ground-up.
 

San Francisco -- Gap Inc., Petco Animal Supplies, Levi Strauss are the only U.S. retail brands to be recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as a 2015 World’s Most Ethical Company.

The annual designation, which recognizes organizations that foster a culture of ethics and transparency at every level of the organization was given to 132 companies. The only other retail brands on this year’s list are Sweden’s H&M and the United Kingdom’s Marks and Spencer.

New York – Specialty retailer Aerie, a subsidiary of American Eagle Outfitters, is capitalizing on the “selfie” craze in its newest promotion. The company has created what it calls the world's largest unretouched selfie and photo shoot as part of its #AerieREAL “Love Your Real Selfie” promotion.

Aliso Viejo, Calif. - Johnny Rockets has named Charles Bruce as the company's new president and CEO. Bruce brings to Johnny Rockets more than 35 years of experience in marketing and leadership positions, most recently as president and CEO of Peter Piper Pizza,

Earlier in his career, Bruce held marketing and brand strategy positions with the International Pizza Hut Franchise Holders Association as VP of marketing, and at Wendy's as VP of international marketing.
 

Ross Stores is less than two months into its new fiscal year and already the company is halfway home on its 2015 new store growth plan and asserting its long term potential.

Ross confirmed that since the beginning of its fiscal year on Feb. 1, it opened 32 Ross Dress for Less stores and five dd’s Discounts stores in 15 states.

The company’s full year plan disclosed when fourth quarter results were released on Feb. 26, calls for 70 Ross stores and 20 dd’s Discounts stores.

Los Angeles – A little more than a month after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, specialty women’s apparel retailer Cache is throwing in the towel. Advisory and valuation services provider Great American Group (GA), which won a bid for Cache’s assets at a March 3 bankruptcy auction, has begun "going-out-of-business" sales for all Cache's retail locations in the U.S., the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.