Department Store

Secaucus, N.J. -- The Children's Place said Wednesday that current CFO Michael Scarpa has also been appointed COO, effective immediately.

Scarpa will continue to oversee finance, information technology, distribution, logistics and wholesale, and will add store operations, store development and international to his current responsibilities.

Prior to joining The Children's Place, Scarpa was COO and CFO of The Talbots.

NEW YORK — The Jones Group Inc. plans to close 170 under-performing stores in the U.S. by mid-2014 as part of its efforts to shore up profitability.

The stores identified for closure include 50 units previously announced in the fourth quarter.

Jones, which owns the Nine West, Jones New York and Anne Klein banners among others, will emerge from the restructuring with a higher percentage of outlet stores in its portfolio, and some units will be converted to more viable sister banners.

New York -- The Jones Group Inc. announced Monday that it will put into action a series of events designed to shore up profitability, the most significant of which includes shuttering 170 underperforming stores in the U.S. by mid-2014.

The stores identified for closure include 50 units previously announced in the fourth quarter.

Craftsman and Harley-Davidson have teamed up to produce co-branded, special-edition tool storage products available now in Sears stores and online.

As part of the partnership, Craftsman — the tool brand owned by Sears Holdings — has been named the official hand and power tool sponsor of the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary Celebration. 

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores released its 2012 corporate social responsibility report, providing updates on the company’s programs and accomplishments in sustainability, community relations and social compliance. The company noted that, as of the end of fiscal 2012, it has achieved 752 Energy Star-certified locations, adding 75 stores in 2012 with a goal to reach 800 certified locations by 2015.

In other sustainability highlights, at the end of fiscal 2012:

New York -- The National Retail Federation applauded a Senate vote to proceed with debate on S.743, an act to level the sales tax field for online and brick-and-mortar stores.

NRF president and CEO Matthew Shay issued the following statement: “NRF applauds today’s Senate vote on the Marketplace Fairness Act and we commend Senators Enzi, Durbin, Alexander and Heitkamp for their skilled leadership in moving this legislation ahead.”


New York -- J.C. Penney has been working with consulting firm AlixPartners, which specializes in turnarounds, for about a month, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Executives at AlixPartners are focused on cash flow management and finding ways for Penney to save money, according to the report.

FORT WORTH, Texas — RadioShack posted first quarter 2013 quarter sales of $849 million and a loss of $43 million, compared with $913 million last year and a loss of $8 million.

As a result of the company’s disappointing first quarter, it has ended its mobile phone partnership with Target. RadioShack said it had stopped operating its Target Mobile centers before the end of last month. The company had operated mobile phone kiosks inside Target stores.