Corporate Governance

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney became the latest retail chain to say it will stop selling products associated with celebrity chef Paula Deen following her admission she has made racially derogatory remarks.

In addition, Ballantine Books has ended an agreement with her to publish five books. That agreement included "Paula Deen's New Testament: 250 Favorite Recipes, All Lightened Up,” which was scheduled for release in October 2013 and had reached number one in presales on Amazon.com and the Barnes and Noble website.

LOS ANGELES — Virtual Piggy has appointed Ivo Weevers as the company’s creative director of mobile design. Weevers will be charged with leading and managing the mobile consumer experience team.

Weevers has 15 years of experience in creating mobile, web, device and desktop products across multiple platforms. He has directed design work and lead international design teams in the telecom, device, social media, banking, travel, entertainment, medical automotive industries.

Greer, S.C. -- Buffets, the parent company of six family style steak buffet restaurant chains, has named Chip Romp to the newly created position of VP Training and Jay Allen to Senior VP Real Estate and Development.

A 20-year training veteran, Romp comes to the company from the Italian Fast Casual concept Fazoli’s, where he served as VP Training, Development & Ops Services. He also has training experience with Applebee’s International, Damon’s International and Jillian’s Entertainment.

PLANO, Texas — Snapple has taken a page from Seinfeld, the often self-described “show about nothing,” in its latest marketing gambit. 

Fort Worth, Texas -- RadioShack has named marketing and communications executive Merianne Roth as the company’s new VP of communications, a newly created role at the electronics retailer.

She joins RadioShack from the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, where she was VP of marketing and communications. Her background includes leadership roles for J.C. Penney, where she was director of consumer brand marketing and publicity, and Pier 1 Imports, where she served as senior manager of public relations.

New York -- Teen apparel retailer Aeropostale will enter Mexico through a licensing agreement with Distribuidora Liverpool, S.A. de C.V. ("Liverpool").

The agreement includes the opening of branded Aeropostale shop-in-shops in Liverpool department stores across Mexico beginning this summer, in addition to rolling out freestanding stores. The first standalone is scheduled to open this summer, in Mexico City’s Sante Fe Mall.

Chestnut Hill, Mass. -- Swedish children’s wear brand Polarn O. Pyret USA has opened its first Boston-area store at THE STREET in Chestnut Hill, according to WS Development, the center’s developer and owner. This is the fifth Polarn O. Pyret (pronounced POH-lahrn oh PEE-rhet and nicknames PO.P) in the U.S. and the fourth on the east coast.

New York – XO Group Inc., parent company of wedding/baby-themed e-commerce brands such as The Knot, The Bump and ijie.com, has named Michael Steib president, effective July 1. Steib most recently served as CEO of Vente-Privee USA, an e-commerce venture backed by American Express, and also held digital executive positions at companies including Google and NBC Universal.