Corporate Governance

Boston – A carbon monoxide leak at a Legal Sea Foods restaurant in Huntington Station, N.Y., is being blamed for the death of a manager and the sickening of 27 others. According to the New York Times, at around 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 22, police and other medical and emergency personnel responded to a call for a woman who had fallen and hit her head in the basement of the Legal Sea Foods in the Shops at Walt Whitman, and medical personnel recognized signs of a carbon monoxide leak.

eBay and billionaire investor Carl Icahn are engaging in a public war of words that was ignited by an open letter Icahn sent to eBay shareholders Monday, Feb. 24. In the letter, Icahn accused eBay CEO John Donahoe of ignoring conflicts of interest on its board and called for the company to spin off PayPal.

Columbus, Ohio – Big Lots Inc. is hosting three career fairs in the San Francisco Bay and San Jose areas the first week of March. The retailer has opportunities for experienced store management, entry-level management, store associates, and stockers.

"We're looking for people committed to delivering terrific service in a fast-paced retail environment," said regional HR manager Bill Armstrong. "This is a great opportunity to meet and interact with a prospective employer and make a real impact."

Little Rock, Ark. – Dillard’s Inc. reported declining net income for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014. Compared to the same period a year earlier, Dillard’s reported a 26% decline in net income to $119.1 million from $161.4 million.

Net sales in the fourth quarter declined 3% to $2.03 billion from $2.1 billion, and same-store sales grew 2%. During the fiscal year, net income dropped about 4% to $323.7 million from $336 million, and net sales slightly declined to $6.53 billion from $6.59 billion. Same-store sales rose 1%.

Tuesday Morning, a leading closeout retailer with 819 stores across the United States, has appointed Douglas B. Sullivan as SVP for real estate and Michael J. Jones as SVP and chief information officer.

Most recently, Sullivan served as EVP for development at Michaels, where he led the company's real estate strategy development and rollout.  

Houston - Men's Wearhouse has increased its purchase offer for Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. to $63.50 per share, or about $1.78 billion, from $57.50 per share, or about $1.6 billion. The bid may increase to $65 a share, or about $1.82 billion, if Jos. A. Bank agrees to halt its planned acquisition of Eddie Bauer and lets Men’s Wearhouse conduct limited due diligence. On February 14, Jos. A. Bank agreed to buy Eddie Bauer for $825 million, but reserved the right to terminate the deal if a superior transaction emerged.

Dillard’s CEO William T. Dillard II voiced disappointment in the retailer’s gross margin performance despite what he called a profitable fourth quarter. Although comparable sales grew 2%, the retailer said lower-than-anticipated sales necessitated heavy markdowns.

Single Touch Systems, a technology-based mobile media solutions provider, has named Adam Meshekow as head of national retail sales.

Meshekow will be responsible for the company's direct sales and marketing efforts and will work with management to help architect plans for future client engagement and product development and deployment.