Mass Merchant

Tianjin, China -- Global architecture and interior design firm, tvsdesign, celebrates the opening of Galaxy Mall, the retail portion of Tianjin's new Cultural Center District, which opened in October 2012. With 360,000 square meters of total building area, Galaxy Mall ranks among the top five largest retail complexes in China, and is more than 80% leased.

Secaucus, N.J. -- The Children's Place Retail Stores Inc. reported Monday that its CFO Steven Baginski has resigned the company, effective immediately.

According to the retailer, Baginski is leaving to pursue other interests.

Former COO and CFO of The Talbots Inc., Michael Scarpa, has been named Baginski’s successor, effective Dec. 3.  

Scarpa also worked at Liz Claiborne Inc. for 25 years.
 

With an eye on expansion, both from customer engagement and operational perspectives, retailers are eager to revitalize their brands and overall shopping experiences, according to industry experts. The upcoming 102nd annual NRF Convention & EXPO, produced by The National Retail Federation, Washington, D.C., promises to educate attendees on these and other business strategies.

Each year, in December, Chain Store Age publishes a retail overview of the northeastern quadrant of the United States and, each year, there’s not a lot of bad news to report, even in recessionary times. This year is no exception; in fact, despite a superstorm that ravaged much of the region, the economic engine continues to chug along.

New York -- Cyber Monday continues its importance, driving a nearly 22% increase in year-over-year online sales, Chase reported Tuesday as part of its latest Holiday Pulse report. Monday sales beat Sunday, the next highest day, by a margin of 26.7%.

New York -- According to a Tuesday report by Bloomberg, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has terminated a supplier that made apparel at the Bangladesh factory where an estimated 124 people died in a fire on Nov. 24.

The Tazreen Fashion-owned factory will no longer produce merchandise for Walmart, according to the report, which also stated that Tazreen subcontracted work without Wal-Mart Stores’ authorization. The supplier has not been named.

New York -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that activist hedge fund Starboard Value has added former Home Depot and Chrysler executive Robert Nardelli and ex-Staples vice chairman Joseph Vassalluzzo as advisors – part of Starboard’s plan to make sweeping changes at Office Depot Inc.

According to a Monday filing, Nardelli and Vassalluzzo will provide counsel toward improving Office Depot’s operations and strategies.

By Kumar Venkataraman

Over the last decade, America’s Atlantic shores have faced the wrath of more than a dozen hurricanes, causing damage worth several billion dollars. Year after year, retailers have been learning and fine-tuning their strategies to respond to the critical needs of consumers in the impacted areas, both in preparing for a disaster and immediately after.