aggregatedcontent

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe's Cos. announced that Michael K. Brown, executive VP and CIO, will retire after almost 28 years with the company. The company has begun a search for a replacement. Brown will continue to serve in his present role for a period of time to assist with the transition. Brown was named CIO in 2011 after a 26-year career in store operations and merchandising. He joined the company in 1984. “After a successful career in store operations and merchandising, Mike took on responsibility for the company’s IT function, upgrading technology and store infrastructure, positively impacting employees' ability

New York -- Modell’s Sporting Goods announced the promotions of two members on the company’s executive team. Charles Castaneda has been promoted to executive VP -- planning, allocation, replenishment and e-ccommerce merchandising. Castaneda joined Modell’s in December of 2010 as senior VP – planning, allocation and replenishment. Todd Smyth has been promoted to VP/GMM of the licensed product division. He has been with Modell’s for the past 12 years.

In the recent Online Shopper Experience Study conducted by Bronto Software, the carting and purchasing processes of 100 online retail brands and their abandoned cart marketing strategies were evaluated. The study points to user experience, indecision, technical issues and product cost/additional fees as the top reasons buyers abandon online purchases.

Neiman Marcus Group announced that Joshua Schulman has been appointed president of Bergdorf Goodman, effective May 7. Schulman, 40, joins Bergdorf Goodman from Jimmy Choo, where he was CEO. In this role, Schulman oversaw the international expansion of the brand and the growth of jimmychoo.com. Prior to Jimmy Choo, Schulman was president, Kenneth Cole New York, and managing director, international strategic alliances, Gap, Inc.

Tokyo -- Japan’s Fast Retailing Co., parent of Uniqlo, reported Thursday that its net profit for the Sept.-Feb. period surged 38.7% to $705 million as an usually cold weather bolstered sales at Japan stores. Same-store sales in the period rose 2.3%. The company lifted its full-year profit forecast to $1.7 billion from a previously announced $1.6 billion for the fiscal year ending in August, surpassing analysts’ projections. Revenues at Uniqlo overseas locations surged 45% in the first half, thanks to strong sales growth in China and Hong Kong, and 53 more outlets overseas than the previous year. Fast Retailing

Last election, Obama's campaign weapon of choice was the internet. This election, it looks like he's going another route: the dog route. Hey, people do spend money on their dogs. Here are some of the campaign-fundraising items now on sale at Store.BarackObama.com:

New York -- Private equity firm Oak Hill Capital Partners has acquired an 80% ownership stake in the 25-store natural food chain Earth Fare. The deal values the company at $300 million. “Earth Fare is well-positioned for expansion given robust consumer demand for natural and organic food, widespread interest in environmental sustainability, and significant market opportunity across the United States,” said Tyler Wolfram, a partner of Oak Hill Capital, in a statement. “We look forward to working closely with Jack Murphy and the rest of the management team to support Earth Fare’s next phase of growth." Oak Hill is

Specialty retailer and team dealer Lids Sports Group has teamed with internet sports media destination Bleacher Report to launch a Bleacher Report Store site in connection with BleacherReport.com. Through the agreement, Lids will develop, host, maintain and be responsible for the retail operations of the Bleacher Report Store. A specific “Shop” link will appear on the Bleacher Report website, as well as the mobile app, to drive fans to the new online Bleacher Report Store.