Walmart

Kraft Foods Group has named George Zoghbi as vice chairman of operations, R&D, sales and strategy, a newly created position. He will report directly to CEO Tony Vernon.  

The company said that it created the new role to “bring together the expertise of several key areas under one leader, including research & development, which creates innovative new products and manages quality improvements, to the manufacturing and sales teams that make and ultimately deliver Kraft's products to customers.”

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores announced the promotion of Shelley Broader, currently president and CEO of Walmart Canada, to executive VP, president and CEO of Walmart EMEA, effective June 1. In her new role, she will lead Walmart's retail operations and oversee business development in Europe, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa and Canada and will report directly to David Cheesewright, president and CEO, Walmart International.

Walmart Canada president and CEO Shelley Broader’s responsibilities have been significantly expanded to include oversight of Europe and Africa.

Broader was named EVP, president and CEO of Walmart EMEA, a region Walmart defines as including Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon was among the dozens of high-profile business executives from the world of technology who participated in the inaugural Code Conference this week. Organizers of the event, which cost $6,500 to attend, made available a brief video of McMillon’s comments on a wide range of topics.

Bentonville, Ark. – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has reportedly been given a May 30 deadline to settle a labor dispute in the Chinese city of Changde. According to the Wall Street Journal, Changde officials want Wal-Mart to reach an out-of-court settlement with workers at a store there which is scheduled to close.

The smart shopping brand and magazine All You from Time Inc., doubled its Facebook community during the past year and recently surpassed one million fans.

On the heels of a mostly disappointing 2013 earnings season, many U.S. brick-and-mortar retailers will focus on building out their online presence for growth, according to Moody’s Investor Service’s new report, “Brick-and-Mortar Continues to March Online,” by Charlie O’Shea, VP – senior analyst, Moody’s.

Here are five highlights from the study:

Walmart is reportedly planning to substantially expand its e-commerce operation based in Sunnyvale, California. According to the Oakland Tribune, Walmart intends to add hundreds of staffers to its global e-commerce unit there, bringing the total number of e-commerce employees to about 1,000.
 
In addition, Walmart will lease a 107,000-sq.-ft. space in Sunnyvale to help house its e-commerce operations. Currently, the retailer employs about 550 e-commerce employees in Sunnyvale at an existing facility it will maintain.

During the first year of Walmart’s Veterans Welcome Home Commitment, the company hired more than 42,000 veterans. The commitment, launched last Memorial Day, guarantees a job offer to any honorably discharged veteran within his or her first 12 months off active duty. Walmart projects it will hire more than 100,000 veterans in five years.

San Bruno, Calif. – Wal-Mart is reportedly planning to substantially expand its e-commerce operation based in Sunnyvale, California. According to the Oakland Tribune, Wal-Mart intends to add hundreds of staffers to its global e-commerce unit there, bringing the total number of e-commerce employees to about 1,000.

In addition, Wal-Mart will lease a 107,000-sq.-ft. space in Sunnyvale to help house its e-commerce operations. Currently, the retailer employs about 550 e-commerce employees in Sunnyvale at an existing facility it will maintain.