News

The Pep Boys president, CEO and director Mike Odell has resigned. Director John Sweetwood has been named interim CEO, effective immediately.

Sweetwood has served on Pep Boys’ board of directors since 2002 and is currently the president of Woods Investment, LLC, a private real estate investment firm. Sweetwood is the former president of the Americas Six Continents Hotels (currently Intercontinental Hotel Group), which operates hotels under the InterContinental, Crown Plaza, Holiday Inn and other brands.

Belk’s fall charity sale of the year will take place Saturday, Nov. 8 from 6–10 a.m. at all Belk stores, helping thousands of participating charities across the retailer’s 16-state footprint.

The four-hour, in-store shopping event is an excellent fund-raising tool for participating organizations that sell $5 tickets to their supporters. It’s also an opportunity for customers to give back to local nonprofits while taking advantage of special in-store discounts on purchases during the event.

Coach has announced that executive chairman Lew Frankfort plans to retire upon his term’s expiration. He will not stand for re-election to the board at the company’s annual meeting of stockholders in November.

The company intends to bestow upon him the honorary title of chairman emeritus at that time.

A week after Gordon Brothers Group — a global advisory, restructuring and investment firm specializing in the retail, consumer products, industrial and real estate sectors — tapped a new CEO, the company promoted Frank Grimaldi to national sales manager of the firm’s valuation and advisory services division.
 

Mars has announced a number of leadership changes, which include the departure of Todd Lachman, current president of the company's global pet care division.
 
Lachman, who has been with the company eight years, will be leaving at the end of 2014 to relocate his family to San Francisco. Poul Weihrauch has been named as his successor, effective Jan. 1. Weihrauch is currently global president of Mars Food and also has accountability for Mars drinks and European multisales. He has been with Mars for 14 years, working in multiple categories.
 

Meijer has launched a first-of-its-kind food solutions program in each of its 213 stores. According to the retailer, “Ready! For You” is designed to meet the tastes and lifestyles of busy families by providing recipe ideas, inspiration and savings opportunities in-store and online.

Uniqlo's latest interactive global campaign, called the ‘Uniqlo Selfless Selfie Project,’ encourages consumers to take a selfies and give back this holiday season.

Participants must post a selfie with a pledge to do something nice for a loved one or for their local community to social media using #3DSelfie for a chance to win a full-body 3D replica of themselves dressed in Uniqlo holiday clothing.
 

A global report by Capgemini, a leading provider of consulting, technology and outsourcing services, claims that consumers consider social media a less important part of their customer journey — from awareness, through to post-sale activity — compared to two years ago.

Despite posting increases in consolidated net and comparable store sales, the Finish Line’s second-quarter results fell short of its expectations, thanks to softness in the specialty retailer’s basketball offering.

Despite the slowdown in basketball-related sales, the running-related sales increased in the mid-single digits, driven by casual and performance styles. Consolidated net sales were $466.9 million, an increase of 7.1% over the prior year period. Comparable store sales increased 1.5%.

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) reportedly wants to expand a pilot of a grocery delivery service it has been testing with Amazon.com in the San Francisco area. According to the Wall Street Journal, the USPS has applied to run a two-year test of the service.