Corporate Governance

Aston, Pa. - Actions Services Group, a national lighting maintenance, sign maintenance and electrical services company, has signed an agreement with Stage Stores for interior lighting maintenance and electrical services for three of its retail brands. The three retail brands include Bealls, Goody’s and Peebles with store locations across the states of Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Plano, Texas – Net earnings at Rent-A-Center Inc. fell 58% year-over-year in the second quarter of fiscal 2014, to $17.5 million from $41.9 million. Costs related to pretax restructuring and the consolidation of 150 stores into core U.S. stores helped reduce total net earnings.

Lowe's plans to build a customer support center in Indianapolis, a move that will create up to 1,000 new jobs by 2016.

The Home Depot elevated 14-year veteran Ted Decker to the role of EVP of merchandising to oversee all aspects of merchandising strategy and operations.

Decker had previously served as SVP of retail finance, pricing analytics and assortment planning. He assumes his new role August 4 and will report to Craig Menear, Home Depot’s president of U.S. retail.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Lowe's announced plans to locate a customer support center in Indianapolis, creating up to 1,000 new jobs by 2016.

The retailer plans to invest $20.5 million to purchase, renovate and equip a 140,000-sq.-ft. office facility at Intech Park 12, 6620 Network Way, on the northwest side of Indianapolis. The new center will support stores and internet sales, delivery services and repair services for Lowe's customers across the United States.

The economic trend for some time now has been a slow and meandering recovery. Despite improving consumer confidence numbers, a surprising first quarter GDP decline of 2.9% speaks to that uncertainty. Retail analysts and observers have a tendency to blame the weather whenever we have a bad economic quarter or when retail sales are unexpectedly sluggish, but I tend to be a little dubious of those explanations. Last winter was definitely rough enough to impact spending, but I don’t think it’s enough to explain the continued issues into the spring.

Dallas - Roman Kikta, managing partner and founder of Mobility Ventures, has joined Tantrum Street’s board of directors and will provide strategic guidance for the retail technology startup as it rolls out its Cartwheel Register mobile checkout app and Skip Wallet digital wallet app to the North American market.

Clothing company Kellwood has named Marc Babins the president of its western region. Babins — who has been in the apparel industry for most of his career — will head up Kellwood’s largest operations unit in City in Industry, California.