Corporate Governance

Anyone planning to attend the NRF Convention Jan. 11-14, 2015, should consider arriving one day early to attend another event that is chock-full of information and industry expertise: SuperSaturday. Each year, RetailROI independently offers SuperSaturday, a one-day event held the Saturday before the official Sunday kickoff to the NRF Convention.

This year, SuperSaturday falls on Jan. 10. Held at the PwC Auditorium in Manhattan from 8 a.m.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is reportedly reappointing Scott Price as president and CEO of its Asia business. According to Bloomberg, Wal-Mart will let Price, who previously held the position from 2009 until June 2014, work from the retailer’s U.S. headquarters.  

Coca-Cola Life, a new reduced-calorie beverage with a blend of cane sugar and stevia leaf extract, is hitting the stores nationwide. 

Coca-Cola Life addresses the health concerns over sugary sodas.  The green-labeled can or bottle contains 35% fewer calories than Coca Cola Classic and is said to taste closer to the original than Diet Coke, which is sweetened with aspartame.  

Fast-fashion for plus-sized women: That’s what eloquii.com is on a mission to deliver. While a retail format that offers runway-inspired looks for shoppers sized 14 to 24 is a no-brainer, the concept is practically radical in fast-fashion retailing.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN Inc. beat Wall Street expectations for profit and revenue in the third quarter of fiscal 2014. Net income totaled $39.5 million, down 6% from $42.1 million in the prior year period.   A higher effective tax rate helped decrease profits at HSN. Net sales rose 5% to $837.5 million from $798.9 million. Digital sales were up 7% and mobile sales increased 37%, with mobile now representing 16% of HSN’s total business.  

Like an inconsiderate party guest, Old Man Winter arrived early this year, bringing his trusty cohorts snow, ice, wind and rain. The first official day of winter is still a month away, but many parts of the United States are feeling the freeze, especially in the Northern Plains, where snow fell 11 days before summer officially ended. If that is any indication of the upcoming season, retailers could be in for a long and brutal winter.

Winter Forecast

For many, winter is a magical time of the year.

New York --  Foot Locker Inc. announced that, as part of a planned succession process, Ken Hicks, 61, intends to retire as president and CEO of the company on Dec. 1, 2014. Hicks, a highly-regarded retail veteran who has been wooed by other retailers for the top spot, will be succeeded as president and CEO by COO Richard (Dick) A. Johnson, 56, who has been with Foot Locker for almost two decades.  

Minneapolis -- Tuesday Corp. announced that it planned to close 11 stores as of Feb. 1, 2015, citing performance issues.