Discount Store

Brian Cornell’s tenure as Target’s chairman and CEO begins on August 12. Don’t expect it to last long if his track record at other recent employers is any indication.
 
Cornell brings to Target an impressive roster of C-level positions at big name companies — PepsiCo, Sam’s Club, Michael’s, Safeway — but the 55-year-old executive didn’t stick around for long at any of them.
 

Charlotte, N.C. -- Following the resignation of president and chief merchandising officer Kathryn Bufano to take the CEO slot at Bon-Ton, Belk has promoted David Zant as its replacement, effective Aug. 11.

Zant, who will report to Tim Belk, chairman and CEO, has served as Belk’s executive VP and general merchandising manager of men’s, home and kids since 2008.

Belk president and chief merchandising officer Kathryn Bufano was named president at CEO of The Bon-Ton Stores late Thursday.

Walmart kicked off its back-to-school promotional effort the way it does every seasonal selling initiative – with a big emphasis on low prices – but added a stronger digital component this year.

The retailer sought to bring a bit of Black Friday and Cyber Monday magic to its back-to-school efforts with a series of price cuts and limited duration offerings designed to generate sales and drive traffic to its stores and Web site.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Body Central Corp. has appointed three new directors effective July 31.

Bryan Eshelman is COO of Aldo Group in Montreal; prior to Aldo, he was the executive VP and chief supply chain officer at Charming Shoppes.

Folline Cullen is a turnaround specialist with Educate Online who has overseen the Sylvan Learning spinoff; she was previously the CFO of  Wall Street International, a global brand in English instruction.

New York -- Parents and their children in grades K-12 will spend a combined $543 on back-to-school items, and double that, at $1,223, on college spending. According to new survey data from Deloitte, parents alone expect to spend 13% less than in 2013.

Matthews, N.C. – Activist investor Carl Icahn, who had been pressuring Family Dollar to sell the company, has reduced his ownership stake in the company from 9.39% to 6.09%.

Chicago — Regency Centers announced the groundbreaking of a new 40,000-sq.-ft. Whole Foods Market, located 25 miles from downtown Chicago in Schererville, Indiana.

The new store, situated in The Shops on Main shopping center, is projected to open in fall 2015. Current tenants include Homegoods, Gordmans, Ross Dress for Less, and DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse.