OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

NRF: Retailers added 24,000 jobs in February
Washington, D.C. -- Despite harsh winter weather throughout the country, retail industry employment in February increased by 24,000 jobs and has increased 218,000 on a year-over-year basis as retailers and merchants again added strength in numbers to the overall economy, according to the National Retail Federation.

Strong monthly gains were witnessed in apparel, building material and supplies, sporting goods and home and home furnishing sectors. Job gains as calculated by NRF do not include auto dealerships, restaurants or gas stations.
Senator calls for Lumber Liquidators investigation
Toano, Va. – Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Florida) is publicly calling for federal agencies to investigate the formaldehyde levels in wood flooring sold at Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. Nelson, highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, sent an open letter to the heads of Consumer Product Safety Commission, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Trade Commission.

American Apparel workers create coalition

Los Angeles - Factory workers of American Apparel established a coalition of workers to advocate for their rights before new corporate management. Hundreds of workers met on Feb. 28 to organize themselves into the "Coalition of American Apparel Factory Workers United to Save American Apparel."
SpartanNash promotes CFO to COO

New York -- Grocery distributor and retailer SpartanNash has promoted Dave Staples, current executive VP and CFO, to COO. Staples will oversee all three operating segments of the company: retail, wholesale and military distribution. He will continue to serve as CFO until his replacement is hired.

Staples joined SpartanNash in January 2000, serving as the company’s executive VP and CFO since November of 2000
Vestis Retail, operator of Bob’s Stores, EMS and Sport Chalet, names CFO

Meriden, Conn. -- Vestis Retail Group, which operates Bob’s Stores, Eastern Mountain Sports and Sport Chalet, has Susan J. “Sue” Riley to CFO.

Riley brings 30 years of financial management to her new role at Vestis, where she worked on a consulting basis as interim CFO in recent months.
Report: Best Buy services president will leave company

Minneapolis – Christopher Askew, president of Best Buy services, is reportedly leaving the company. According to the Wall Street Journal, Askew is leaving his post overseeing Best Buy’s Geek Squad technology services offering less than two years after he was hired from NCR Corp.

An internal company memo indicates CEO Hubert Joly will oversee the services organization on an interim basis. Best Buy confirmed the memo. The retailer has been expanding its showroom floor space as services sales have been declining.
Study: POS technology alive and well; North American shipments up 5%

Franklin, Tenn. – The boring old POS terminal may not be so boring after all. According to new research from IHL Group, North American POS shipments grew by 5.2% year-over-year in 2014, a time when many were calling for a reduction in shipments due to mobile.
Advance Auto Parts names supply chain exec

Roanoke, Va. -- Advance Auto Parts announced that Todd Greener has been appointed senior VP, supply chain.
'60 Minutes' expose sends Lumber Liquidators shares tumbling

New York -- The "60 Minutes" episode alluded to in last week's Lumber Liquidators earnings conference call was apparently more damning than some analysts expected.

As a result, the company's shares tumbled Monday morning, with pending news prompting a pause in trading that resumed again after the stock price fell more than 24%.
Petland hires former Walmart exec as VP of corporate stores

Chillicothe, Ohio -- Petland has appointed former Walmart exec Tony Samples as VP of corporate stores. Samples will lead Petland's retail store division and oversee the company's merchandising and marketing efforts.

"Tony brings extensive retail experience to Petland at a time when Petland is expanding its retail footprint," said Petland president and CEO Joe Watson.