News Briefs

Target Corp. is mandating that some of its employees spend more time in the office. 

The discounter is requiring that all headquarters workers in its commercial unit work who live in the Minneapolis area to work in the office at least three days a week, starting Sept. 2. The commercial unit is Target’s largest unit and includes buyers, planners and supply chain managers. It is overseen by Target chief commercial officer Rick Gomez.

“More time together, in the office, will help us grow our business faster, solve problems quickly and build stronger relationships,” Gomez wrote in an email to employees.

Target is giving the employees flexibility in the return-to-office requirement. Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach, employees can choose which three days are best for their in-office work based on routines and business needs.

"With few exceptions – like face-to-face meetings when business partners are in town – you’re free to build a schedule that works best for you," Gomez wrote. 

In an email to Chain Store Age, a Target spokesperson said that "team members tell us they see the benefit from the in-person connection and collaboration that’s a part of being in the office."

Earlier this week, Starbucks Corp. said that its corporate employees will have to work in the office a minimum of four days a week — Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — starting in October. 

[READ MORE: Starbucks calls corporate employees back to office — or take a payout]

In a posting on Facebook, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote that he was grateful to both Target and its employees for returning to downtown, “as their impact goes far beyond Target’s headquarters.”

“More restaurant tables will be filled, more coffees bought, and more people will be on the streets — all of which will only add to the momentum we’re seeing in our downtown comeback,” he said.

The CFO of Tailored Brands Inc. is departing the company fo join a luxury retailer.

Tailored Brands, whose portfolio includes Men's Wearhouse, Jos. A. Bank, Moores and K&G Fashion Superstore, said that CFO Brandy Richardson is leaving the company, effective July 25. In separate news, Richardson will join Saks Global as finance chief, effective Aug. 18.

Tailored Brands said it has launched a search for a successor. In the interim, the existing finance team will report to president John Tigh, who is set to take the reins of the company on Aug. 5.

“Since joining us in 2021, Brandy has contributed to our successful business and financial transformation," Tigh stated. "With a strong foundation in place, I’m confident that with our talented leadership and finance teams we are well-positioned to execute our future growth plans and build on our momentum. I appreciate Brandy’s partnership and leadership over the years and wish her continued success in her next chapter.”

The nation's largest private employer is cutting jobs as it looks to simplify its structure, reported Bloomberg News. 

According to a memo viewed by Bloomberg, Walmart is eliminating the market coordinator job that supports some managers. The coordinators, considered corporate positions, assist market managers, who are responsible for supervising roughly a dozen store managers each.

“We’re simplifying our market support structure, reducing touchpoints and friction for our store associates,” Cedric Clark, executive VP of store operations at Walmart U.S., wrote in the memo, which was dated July 16.

In addition, the retailer is eliminating some some coach and coordinator roles at Walmart Academy, which trains store employees and managers, the report said.  

Market coordinators and academy coaches will be guaranteed store-level coach roles in the local area, according to the memo.

Earlier this year, Walmart  said it planned to cut about 1,500 corporate jobs. It also  closed its office in North Carolina, as part of a move to relocate employees and asked other associates to relocate to its headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., or to Sunnyvale, Calif. 

RaceTrac previously implemented Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE) ProLiant servers in every store, and is also utilizing HPE Alletra Storage, a cloud-native data infrastructure, to boost storage capacity and simplify its data management to support customer-facing workloads such as loyalty programs.

[READ MORE: RaceTrac transforms store operations with cloud and AI rollout]

Headquartered in Atlanta, the RaceTrac and RaceWay brands operate more than 800 combined retail locations across 11 states.

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the company’s listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market and a few other things as well.

The off-price retailer’s president and CEO, Eric van der Valk, and other members of the executive leadership team rang the opening bell of the exchange on Wednesday to celebrate the anniversary. Ollie’s is also celebrating opening of its 600th store as it expands into its 34th state.

Opening later this week, the store is located in Belmont, N.H., and is Ollie’s first ever in the Granite State. The company has been expanding its footprint by buying bankrupt leases. It expects to open roughly 75 stores in 2025.

“While we celebrate our 600th store milestone, we are focused on the tremendous white space opportunity ahead as we accelerate growth at a time when there are so many abandoned customers, product, and real estate in the marketplace,” said Valk, who took the reins at Ollie’s in February.

Valk also said it was honor to represent the Ollie’s team and ring the Nasdaq opening bell.

“We take a lot of pride in the way we operate our business," he said. "We value being a publicly traded company as it holds us to a high standard, provides financial transparency, and increases our visibility with valued business and merchandise partners.”      

(Photo Source: Nasdaq, Vanja Savic)

Department store retailer Von Maur is expanding its young women’s fashion banner into new and existing markets.

Dry Goods is opening four new stores in 2025, giving it a total of 88 locations in 24 states. The retailer also plans to relocate its Woodfield Mall location in Schaumburg, Ill. to a fresh new space within the center this fall. 

The new sites are part of retailer’s continued nationwide growth strategy.  Here are the locations of the upcoming stores:

• Lynnhaven Mall, Virginia Beach, Va.
• Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall, Pa.
• Freehold Raceway Mall,  Freehold, N.J. 

“With each new store opening, we are listening to our customers and delivering what they want: trendy, accessible fashion in an environment that allows them to express their individual style,” said Melody Wright, president of Dry Goods. “New markets present an exciting opportunity to expand the Dry Goods experience across the country.” 

Dry Goods offers a curated selection of junior contemporary clothing, shoes, jewelry and accessories.