Management
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.
CNBC's Jane Wells talks with American Apparel's controversial CEO Dov Charney about his company's strong first-quarter earnings and whether a turnaround is officially in progress.
The board of directors for Best Buy announced that Brian Dunn has resigned as chief executive officer and director. There were no disagreements between Dunn and the company on any matter relating to operations, financial controls, policies or procedures. A mutual agreement was reached that it was time for new leadership to address the challenges that the company faces. Director G. Mike Mikan, a Best Buy director since April 2008, has been named interim CEO to lead the company while a search for a new CEO is underway.
Avon Products today announced that it has appointed Sherilyn S. (Sheri) McCoy as CEO. McCoy will join Avon effective April 23, and will also serve as a director on the company's board. She assumes leadership of Avon following a 30-year career at Johnson & Johnson, where she rose to become vice chairman of the company's pharmaceutical, consumer, corporate office of science & technology, and IT divisions. McCoy's responsibilities included stewardship for a broad portfolio of world-famous consumer brands including Neutrogena, Aveeno, Lubriderm, Clean & Clear, and ROC.
The Justice Department accused a Home Depot store in Arizona of illegally firing a National Guard soldier because he took too many absences to fulfill his service obligations. In a complaint filed with Arizona's U.S. District Court, the department said Home Depot violated the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act when it fired Iraq War veteran Brian Bailey in 2010. A Home Depot spokesman disputed the allegations, saying the store's management fired Bailey based on his performance on the job.
Wal-Mart launched its Women in Factories program, a five-year initiative that will empower 60,000 women working in factories in India, Bangladesh, China and Central America that supply products to Wal-Mart and other retailers. The program will teach critical life skills related to communication, hygiene, reproductive health, occupational health and safety, identifying personal strengths, and gender sensitivity. Up to 8,000 women will also receive leadership training to develop the work and life skills necessary for personal and career development.
Kronos Incorporated announced the release of its Retail Labor Index, a family of metrics and indices that characterize the current state of the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector. The April report includes data for March 2012. The number of applications received by retailers included in the Kronos sample fell 10 percent to 784,941 in March 2012 from an upwardly revised 872,341 in February 2012, all on a seasonally adjusted basis. The level of applications in March was down nearly 250,000 from its level one year ago, when applications reached a near record high.
Saks has named Michael Burgess as president of its direct business, effective May 7. Burgess will report to Denise Incandela, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Saks Fifth Avenue and current president of Saks direct. Burgess has served as executive vice president of the consumer division of FTD at United Online since 2008, where he led merchandising, marketing, consumer information technology and several other functions of the growing FTD North America business segment.
Retail needs to adapt or die. That was the call to action sounded by Eddie Lampert, founder of ESL Partners, which controls about 60 percent of Sears Holdings. Lampert said changes in the retail industry have been great for consumers, but there's a question about whether they've been great for businesses. “J.C. Penney is in need of reinvention, Sears is in need of reinvention, Best Buy [is] in need of reinvention,” he said. “And that means that you’re going to have to try new things. That doesn’t mean you're going to be successful, but you have to try to change.”
West Marine said Tuesday that its President and CEO Geoff Eisenberg will resign once a new chief is appointed. Following a leadership transition period, Eisenberg will serve as a special advisor to the West Marine board of directors. West Marine has already initiated the search for a new CEO. No reason has been given for Eisenberg’s departure.