Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

New York -- Toys "R" Us has appointed Antonio Urcelay, 61, the head of its European operations, as interim CEO, according to a filing the retailer made on Monday with the Securities and Exchange commission, The Record reported.

Urcelay replaces Gerald Storch, who announced in February that he would be stepping. At the time, Storch said he would remain as CEO during the transition. While his role as chief executive ended Sunday, he continues to serve as chairman of the board.

European apparel retailer H&M and Inditex, parent company of fashion retailer Zara, are signing on to the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement, an independent, legally-binding agreement to guarantee safe working conditions in the Bangladeshi garment industry. 

H&M is a top purchaser of garments from Bangladesh, and hopes that the agreement leads to “far-reaching improvements in working conditions.” 

ATLANTA — Aaron's, a lease-to-own retailer specializing in the sales and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has appointed Robert W. Kamerschen as the company’s new SVP and general counsel.

Reston, Va. -- E-commerce sales grew 13% year-over-year to $50.2 billion, marking the fourteenth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and tenth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth, according to comScore. It was also just the second quarter on record to surpass $50 billion in spending.

The survey also revealed that nearly half (48%) of time spent in the retail category occurred on mobile devices, with smartphones (34%) outpacing tablets (14%).

Fort Worth -- A former store manager is suing RadioShack Corp. with claims the chain has been failing to pay overtime wages for the past three years. Bloomberg reports that David Verderame filed suit in Philadelphia seeking at least $5.8 million in unpaid overtime wages for all Pennsylvania RadioShack employees. On Thursday, RadioShack had the suit moved to U.S. District Court due to the size of the alleged damages.

Philadelphia -- Wet Seal Inc. agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a federal racial discrimination lawsuit that accused retailer of firing black employees because they didn’t fit the retailer’s “brand image.”
   
The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund represented the plaintiffs in the class-action effort. The lawsuit alleged that former top Wet Seal executives denied equal pay and promotion opportunities to black store managers or removed them outright, replacing them with white employees.

SALT LAKE CITY — Online discount retailer Overstock.com held its annual meeting and made changes to its board of directors.

Stockholders re-elected Joseph J. Tabacco and elected Jonathan E. Johnson III to the company's board for terms of three years each. The board also named Johnson as its new executive vice chairman.

Arlington, Va. -- The U.S. Senate on late Monday approved the long-debated Internet sales tax proposal, known as the Marketplace Fairness Act, by a bipartisan vote of 69 to 27. The Obama administration has already endorsed the bill, but before it can become law it must be approved by the House, where Republicans are split on the bill.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The U.S. Senate approved the long-debated Internet sales tax proposal, known as the Marketplace Fairness Act, by a bipartisan vote of 69 to 27. The Obama administration has already endorsed the bill, but before it can become law it must be approved by the House, where Republicans are split on the bill.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pamela G. Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association, has announced the addition of two new directors to the association’s federal affairs staff, Nancy Kohler and David Prestwood.