OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Trevose, Pa. - Rita's Italian Ice, has appointed Eric Taylor, a 15-plus-year franchise industry veteran, as senior VP and chief development officer to lead the company’s franchise development and growth. Taylor joined Rita’s in April, and is responsible for the expansion of the Rita's global footprint.

Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Secret Service has reportedly arrested a Russian national for hacking into consumer credit card data between February 2009 and October 2011. According to Fox Business News, Roman Valerevich Seleznev, 45, was arrested July 5 for hacking into the networks of unspecified U.S. companies.

Canton, Mass. - Dunkin' Donuts has signed a multi-unit store development agreement with new franchisees Wendover Donuts LLC to develop five restaurants in North and South Greensboro, North Carolina. The locations will incorporate traditional and combination unit development with sister brand, Baskin-Robbins, with the first store planned to open in 2015.

New York -- The heat is on — in more ways than one. While Target’s search for a new chief executive has been much in the news, the discounter is not the only big retailer on the hunt for a chief executive. Here’s a brief review (all dates are 2014 except where noted):

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings announced today that Kristin M. Coleman will join the company as senior VP, general counsel and corporate secretary. Coleman most recently served as Brunswick Corporation's VP, general counsel and corporate secretary.

Coleman will be responsible for the oversight and leadership of Sears Holdings' legal business.

Brooklyn, N.Y. - In partnership with its largest rug supplier, Raj Overseas, West Elm has established a fair trade certified factory for handcrafted rugs in India. Fair trade certification ensures that the rugs are made in safe working conditions and that workers are justly compensated, delivering a premium back to the worker to invest in causes of their choice.

Seattle -- Target Corp. on Monday announced three executive hires who will have responsibilities for leading teams across its information technology, e-commerce and digital product teams.

Jim Fisher was named senior VP, infrastructure and operations, Target Technology Services, where he will oversee Target’s technical infrastructure and operations. Immediately before Target, Fisher was senior VP of global infrastructure operations at First Data Corporation.

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) calculated retail industry employment gains (excluding autos and gasoline) of 27,800 jobs in June 2014, compared to the prior month and 230,800 year-over-year. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Situation Summary showed that total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 288,000 in June, better than analysts' and economists' expectations.

The unemployment rate dropped to 6.1% as a result, while the civilian labor participation rate remained unchanged at 62.8%.