Retail

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s Cos. president and chief operating officer, Larry Stone, will retire June 2, after 42 years with the company. Lowe’s doesn’t plan to fill the vacancy.

Stone has served in virtually every leadership position within store operations, merchandising and store environment during his career.

Lowe’s also announced the following promotions within merchandising, store operations and strategic planning:

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings announced today retail veteran Chris Capuano will join the company as senior VP and president -- Home Fashions. She will be responsible for the oversight, leadership and growth of the in-store and online merchandising of home fashions in both the Sears and Kmart formats.

Capuano most recently served as  executive VP GMM – Home and Footwear at Kohl's.

Richardson, Texas -- Wingstop is expanding throughout the Baltimore-Washington corridor. The company, which has experienced more than seven years of same store sales increases, recently signed a development agreement to open 20 stores in the area over the next several years.

Business partners Rahim Kurji and Bidjaan Kassam have signed a 20-store development agreement and expect to open four locations in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., this year.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. -- Sears Holdings announced that retail veteran Chris Capuano will join the company as SVP and president home fashions. She will be responsible for the oversight, leadership and growth of the in-store and online merchandising of home fashions in both the Sears and Kmart formats.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Borders Group said it has received a commitment from GE Capital, Restructuring Finance to provide a $550 million senior secured credit facility. Upon completion, the facility, including the obtaining of $125 million of additional junior debt financing via the conversion of vendor payables and/or external sources, will provide Borders with the financial flexibility and an appropriate level of liquidity to move forward with its strategy to reposition its business model and the Borders brand.

ITASCA, Ill. -- Jewel-Osco, a Supervalu-owned company, announced that Keith Nielsen, Jewel-Osco president, has informed the company of his retirement effective at the end of the fiscal year (Feb. 28).

Nielsen’s successor will be Brian Huff, SVP specialty retail for Supervalu. Huff will transition into the position beginning Feb. 7. All operations and business strategies will continue as normal.

New York City -- Hannaford Supermarket’s store in Duanesburg, N.Y., was awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification by the United States Green Building Council.

Among the supermarket’s environmentally friendly features are seafood display cases that do not use ice, an energy-saving advanced refrigeration system, water-conserving restroom fixtures, high-efficiency lighting and solar-reflective roofing materials. 

The only other LEED-certified Hannaford store is in Augusta, Maine.

This just sounds problematic. To better serve cash constrained customers and compete with dollar stores, the company wants to flow less expensive smaller pack sizes to stores during the middle and the end of the month when customers have less money while larger packs sizes would be on store shelves at those times right after customers have been paid.