Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

New York -- OfficeMax and Office Depot on Tuesday announced they have formed a search committee to select a CEO for the combined company. They also said they have received a request for more information from the Federal Trade Communication about their planned merger.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Monday via a written letter to the House Ways and Means Committee that all corporate tax preferences need to be “put on the table” so that politics can be neutralized and progress can be made.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Monday via a written letter to the House Ways and Means Committee that all corporate tax preferences need to be “put on the table” so that politics can be neutralized and progress can be made.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. & BOCA RATON, Fla. — OfficeMax and Office Depot have announced the committee members tasked with overseeing the process to select a CEO for the combined company and selection of the executives who will help to manage the integration planning process. 

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Monday via a written letter to the House Ways and Means Committee that all corporate tax preferences need to be “put on the table” so that politics can be neutralized and progress can be made.

Washington, D.C. -- A report on Friday by the Labor Department showed that retail employment declined by 24,000 in March, the biggest slide since February 2012. The largest hiring slump occurred among clothing and accessories stores, which dropped 15,000, followed by a 10,000 decrease among building-material and garden suppliers.
 
Retailers have been slow to hire largely because of the concern over the 2% increase in payroll taxes and how the bump is impacting consumer spending.

WASHINGTON — The Grocery Manufacturers Association has named Karin F.R. Moore as VP and general counsel.

“I am pleased to welcome Karin to the GMA team,” said GMA president and CEO Pamela Bailey.  “Her legal skill and trade association management experience make her the logical choice for this position, and I am certain that she will provide great value to GMA and its member companies as we advance the association’s member-driven agenda.”

Fairway, a popular New York metro area supermarket, announced in a regulatory filing that it is going public. The company said it expects its stock to price in the range of $10 to $12 per share as it looked to raise as much as $164 million.

Fairway operates 12 locations in the greater New York City metro area and in on track to open a store this summer in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood and one in Nanuet, N.Y, in the fall. 

CHICAGO — True Value reported “gross billings” of $451.9 million for the fourth quarter, up 2.3% from the same quarter last year.

“Gross billings” -- a term not used in the co-op’s 2012 earnings announcement -- is a measure of the total amount invoiced to customers, without subtracting discounts or adjustments.

The company’s revenue was $340.4 million, up 3.3% from the prior-year quarter.

New York -- A Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday revealed that embattled J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson saw his compensation package plummet 97% to about $1.9 million in 2012.

Johnson received a base salary of $1.5 million, up from his partial-year salary of $375,000 in 2011, but did not receive stock or option awards in 2012. That compares with a stock award worth $52.7 million on the date it was granted in 2011, when Johnson was named CEO.