Corporate Governance

MEMPHIS — Regional discounter Fred’s made good on its promise of a year ago to further expand a new merchandising initiative, but an intensely competitive market made fourth-quarter sales tough to come by.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s Department Stores is looking to cash in on the popularity of the music competition show, "American Idol," by launching an exclusive American Idol apparel collection. The line will be called Authentic Icon and will be available exclusively at Kohl’s and Kohls.com beginning in April.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets is expanding its presence in the digital space.

The company earlier this month launched a free mobile application, which allows customers to view its weekly circulars and compile detailed shopping lists on their iPhone and Android smartphones. Settings for the app can be customized so customers can view weekly circular specials at their local store and lists can be synchronized between the list on their device and their list on WeisMarkets.com. Additional features include:

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation has named Ellen Davis SVP and executive director of the NRF Foundation, the education and research arm of NRF.

Awkward. The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal included former Target director of design partnerships Brian Robinson on its annual 40 under 40 series, which looks at up-and-coming business leaders. In Robinson’s case, he is an up-and-comer who has already went – to JCPenney – but will reportedly be based in Minneapolis.

All retailers want to be perceived as great places to work and build a career as it aids in recruitment and retention of employees in an industry where costs associated with notoriously high rates of turnover cause a drag on performance.

WABAN, Mass. — There most be something to that REDcard Rewards program. Target this week was among the companies with the most loyal customers, according to a new study by Temkin Group. The report, "2012 Temkin Loyalty Ratings," rated the loyalty that consumers have to 206 large companies across 18 industries.

Target with a rating of 59%, ranked No. 8 on the list. Sam's Club earned the top spot with a loyalty rating of 65%.

NEW YORK — Office Depot has teamed up with American Express to launch a prepaid reloadable card with no monthly or maintenance fees, will soon be available in retail at select Office Depot stores. The card will roll out in more than 1,100 stores across the United States in the coming weeks.

NEW YORK — Macy’s on Wednesday outlined a new initiative to grow its business with the Millennial generation (ages 13 to 30). The group spends an estimated $65 billion each year for the type of goods sold at Macy’s.

WILTON, Conn. — Skin care company Beiersdorf, whose brands include Nivea, Eucerin and Aquaphor, has announced changes to its sales organization.

Tina Jackse has been promoted to the newly created position of VP global sales of Walmart, where she will be responsible for all Walmart business internationally. She will work collaboratively across the Beiersdorf affiliates around the world to help lead, develop and further strengthen Beiersdorf’s Walmart business globally.