OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

New York -- Target Corp. has added its name to a legal defense of gay marriage. The move comes four years after the company was criticized for supporting a strident opponent of same-sex unions.

Target signed a court brief backing marriage equality in a pending court case and publicly declared its support of gay marriage, joining the likes of Starbucks, Apple and Intel.

North Bergen, N.J. - John Bowlin has been appointed to the board of directors of Vitamin Shoppe Inc., effective Oct. 1. Bowlin currently serves as a director of Generac Power Systems Inc. and the Schwann Food Company.

Prior to his current role, Bowlin most recently held the position of president and CEO of Miller Brewing Company. Throughout his career, Bowlin has served in senior leadership roles at Philip Morris Companies Inc., Kraft Foods Company, Oscar Mayer Food Corp. and General Foods Corp.

Milwaukee – An organized crime syndicate based in Russia has reportedly obtained 1.2 billion passwords and 500 million email addresses from consumers across the globe. According to a report from security research firm Hold Security, the user information has been stolen from 420,000 Internet sites.

Sites range in all sizes and include sites for small businesses and individuals as well as major global companies. Hold Security would not identify any specific companies or industries that were targeted.

New York -- Sascha Bopp, CEO of Crate &and Barrel, has resigned. The retailer’s COO and CFO, Adrian Mitchell, has assumed interim leadership. A search is underway for a permanent replacement.

“This position will concentrate on supporting the company’s evolving business strategy and include a deepened focus on the customer experience and growth in the digital space,” the company said in a statement.

New York - Tiffany & Co. has set a goal to reduce global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 15% from 2013 to 2020, according to its annual corporate responsibility report. The report details that the retailer had installed energy efficient LED lighting in retail displays at more than 39 U.S. retail locations by the end of 2013. An additional 16 North American locations are planned for 2014.

The report also includes progress in the following areas:

New York -- Aldi was recognized as the nation's low-price grocery leader for the fourth year in a row, according to a recent consumer survey conducted by Market Force Information. Aldi announced in December 2013 that it intends to open 650 new stores across the country during the next five years.

When asked to rank the top grocers offering low prices, the 6,200 consumers who participated in the study ranked Aldi first, followed by Costco and Walmart third.

New York - Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer of TripAdvisor, has been appointed to the XO Group board of directors and will serve as an independent director on the board's Compensation Committee. XO Group is parent company of wedding and pregnancy sites including The Bump, The Nest and The Knot.

Pittsburgh – In a surprise announcement, GNC Holdings Inc. said that Joe Fortunato, chairman, president and CEO of the company, is stepping down. It named Michael G. Archbold, 53, CEO and CFO of The Talbots Inc., as CEO and member of the board, effective immediately. The change comes a week after GNC announced its second disappointing quarter this year.