Mass Merchant

Kansas City -- The area’s first White House Black | Market Outlet boutique opened on May 24 at Legends Outlets Kansas City.

The concept features not only collections designed specifically for the outlet boutique, but also an assortment from its full-price boutiques as well.

The White House Black Market Outlet boutique will occupy 2,955 sq. ft. next to Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th.

The Walmart Visitor Center, Downtown Bentonville, and Bentonville public schools, today, will unveil the Wal-Art Student Mural on the Bentonville Square.

Paris -- The world’s second largest retailer behind Wal-Mart said Thursday that its leadership will change hands earlier than planned. France's Carrefour said that current CEO Lars Olofsson had retired at a board meeting on Wednesday, and that incoming chief Georges Plassat will take over as chief executive immediately.

Plassat joined Carrefour last month as COO. He was supposed to make his CEO transition effective June 18. He will take charge of an aggressive turnaround effort intended to reverse years of underperformance.
 

Tucson, Ariz. -- Commercial Retail Advisors said that Tuesday Morning will be relocating a store to the neighborhood center Ventana Village.

The new, 10,000-sq.-ft. Tuesday Morning store is slated to open on Aug. 1.

Ventana Village is anchored by Bashas' Marketplace.
 

Short Hills, N.J. -- Mulberry has opened a new store at Mall at Short Hills (N.J.), on the upper level near Bloomingdale’s, and will be followed by Robert Graham and Vilebrequin openings this summer.

Robert Graham will make its New Jersey debut this summer in its third freestanding U.S. boutique. And men’s swimwear retailer Vilebrequin makes its New Jersey debut this summer as well.

Newly opened stores recently added to this list include Ermenegildo Zegna, Miu Miu, Prada, Victorinox Swiss Army and
Vineyard Vines. 

Toronto -- Sears Canada said Thursday it will unveil a new, refreshed store concept in four Ontario locations, designed to illustrate the retailer’s renewed commitment to customer service and store experience.

The four stores – in Barrie, Belleville, Newmarket and at the Lime Ridge mall in Hamilton – will open on May 25, and will the first step to the company’s plans to transform the Sears shopping experience in Canada, said Sears.

By Rick Parker, [email protected]

“Is there a better job out there?”

This is a question that hourly employees within retail industry are asking themselves more frequently, often leading them to say “I quit,” to their current employer.

Consider trends from the government’s latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey (JOLTs):

Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon delivered an optimistic message about Walmart U.S.’s performance during the first quarter and its potential for the coming year during a presentation at a Morgan Stanley conference in Boston Wednesday. Ahead of the Walmart’s upcoming shareholders’ meeting, Simon talked about leveraging a more efficient supply chain to drive costs down, lower prices and improve traffic and shared insights on the company’s plans for growth in the second quarter and beyond.