OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Mall officials, ICSC respond to terror threat
New York -- The Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, warned shoppers at shopping centers to be vigilant after a terror group called for attacks at shopping venues in Canada, the U.K. and the United States, mentioning by name the Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota.

"I'm not telling people to not go to the mall," Johnson said Sunday on NBC's Meet The Press. "I think that there needs to be an awareness."
H2O+ names new CEO
Chicago -- Skincare products retailer H2O+ announced the appointment of Joy Chen as the company's new president and CEO.

Chen most recently served as the CEO of YES TO Inc. where she managed the YES TO skin and bodycare portfolio’s expansion of North America and International distribution. She brings over 20 years of industry experience and a proven track record of driving sales and profit growth, in demanding, complex turnaround situations.

Dollarama names Office Depot legal head to board

Montreal - Dollarama Inc. has named Elisa D. Garcia, executive VP and chief legal officer of Office Depot Inc., as an independent director and member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Garcia’s appointment expands the corporation’s board of directors to 10 directors, seven of whom are independent.
Analysis: Walmart pay hike wins plaudits, and pans

New York -- On Thursday, in a move that could shape the minimum wage debate, Walmart announced it was raising the minimum wage of its employees to $10 per house, which is significantly higher than the Federal minimum wage. The news has met with a mixed reaction.

Here's a sampling:

CNBC reports that Wall Street gives Walmart a big thumbs down for the news.
Visa expanding online payment service Visa Checkout to 16 global markets

San Francisco – The mobile payment market continues to heat up. On the heels of Samsung’s news that it will acquire mobile payment firm LoopPay, Visa Inc. announced it is expanding its online payment service, Visa Checkout. The financial services giant said the digital checkout service, which launched in three markets in summer 2014, will be available in a total of 16 markets by the end of 2015.
NRF comments on Walmart pay hike for associates

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation credited the “power of the marketplace” in Walmart’s decision to increase wages of approximately 500,000 full-time and part-time associates in April to $9 an hour, which is well above the Federal minimum wage.
Kenneth Cole names former Timberland and Macy’s exec as CEO

New York - Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. has appointed apparel industry veteran Marc Schneider as CEO, effective Feb. 23. Schneider will assume responsibility for the company's retail, outlet, e-commerce, international, licensing and wholesale businesses. He takes over from founder Kenneth Cole, who has served as interim CEO since February 2011.
Nordstrom names MetricStream exec to board

Seattle – Nordstrom Inc. has named Shellye L. Archambeau, CEO of GRC/quality management software provider MetricStream Inc., to the company's board of directors. Her addition brings the total number of directors to 13, 10 of whom serve as independent directors.
Study: Worldwide data breaches up 49% in 2014

Amsterdam, Netherlands – Data breaches are on the rise around the world. Digital security provider Gemalto released the latest edition of its Breach Level Index (BLI), revealing that more than 1,500 data breaches led to one billion data records compromised worldwide during 2014.
Shake Shack opens first Japan store in 2016

New York - Together with its Japanese licensee Sazaby League Ltd., Shake Shack Inc. will open the first-ever Tokyo Shake Shack in 2016. Shake Shack and Sazaby League intend to open one store in Tokyo and 10 total stores in Japan through 2020.