Corporate Governance

SALT LAKE CITY — Overstock.com has promoted Brian Popelka to the position of SVP of customer and partner care. Formerly VP of customer care, Popelka will establish and maintain relationships with the company's drop-ship fulfillment partners, in addition to his previous duties.

Under his direction, the customer care department has repeatedly ranked in the top four of the former NRF Foundation/American Express Customer Choice Awards and earned the Gartner Gold Award and the 2011 Stevie Award for customer care.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid projected that it would turn a profit in the first quarter of fiscal year 2014, results of which it will announce next week. The company has also moved to refinance its debt, announcing that it would buy half a billion dollars in notes using proceeds from a new loan, while also

The retail pharmacy chain said it would buy $500 million worth of 7.5% Senior Secured Notes, due 2017, using the proceeds from a $500 million second lien term loan.

The offer will expire on July 5 unless it's extended, the company said.

ORRVILLE, Ohio — The J. M. Smucker Company's board has announced that a new director nominee will be included in the company's proxy statement for election at the next annual shareholders meeting to be held Wednesday, Aug. 14.

The nominee is Robert B. Heisler Jr., the now-retired dean of the college of business administration and graduate school of management at Kent State University, former CEO of McDonald Financial Group and retired chairman and CEO of KeyBank, N.A.  

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. retailers added almost 28,000 new jobs in May, according to statistics from the Department of Labor. This followed 20,000 new retail hires in April.

Restaurants hired another 38,000 people last month.

New retail and restaurant hires helped drive the addition of 175,000 total new jobs to the U.S. economy in May.

Hordes of spend-happy young Mexican shoppers are successfully attracting specialty apparel retailers from the U.S. and Europe – and, as mentioned in a recent report by Wall Street Journal, Walmart is feeling the pain.

Foothill Ranch, Calif. -- The Wet Seal announced today that retail veteran Lesli Gilbert has been appointed executive VP, stores and operations, effective immediately. Gilbert replaces Barbara Cook, former senior VP store operations, who resigned in February.

Most recently, Gilbert was senior VP of stores at The Talbots, where she was responsible for developing the stores strategy and framework to reposition the business

FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. — The Wet Seal has appointed retail veteran Lesli Gilbert to the position of EVP, stores and operations. She replaces Barbara Cook, who resigned as the company's SVP of store operations in February.

Salt Lake City – Overstock.com has promoted Brian Popelka to the position of senior VP, customer and partner care. Popelka, who previously served as VP of customer care, will take on management of Overtock’s drop ship fulfillment partnerships along with his existing responsibilities for strategic direction and operational effectiveness of customer care.