Management

Staples announced the appointment of Mike Edwards to executive vice president, U.S. retail merchandising. Edwards previously served as president and CEO of Borders Group and had also served as the company's chief merchant.

As some pundits have questioned the wisdom in Apple's decision to bring an outsider in as its new senior vice president of retail, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has reportedly defended the hiring in an email.

Apple has hired former Dixons' CEO John Browett to head up its retail operations in the U.S., prompting a restructure at the U.K. electricals chain. Browett will take on the role of senior vice president of retail at Apple, replacing Ron Johnson who left last year.

Wal-Mart certainly has taken a step back from its heritage with the revelation that it's removing greeters from the graveyard shifts at its U.S. supercenters, in the first reversal of a 30-year-old tradition that helped define what the folksy chain was all about in its early years.

Wal-Mart has reorganized reporting relationships, putting its U.S. marketing team under the leadership of the chief merchandising officer. Marketing currently operates as a separate group and the move, said Wal-Mart, is designed to improve shopper communication.

In 2002, California stores reportedly insisted that staff "buy and wear at work the brands they sell" in what industry experts described as "a practice that violates state law," reflecting industrywide concerns. At the time, one employment attorney insisted "the issue is black and white" as statutes protect people from being forced to buy uniforms.

The National Retail Federation welcomed President Obama's emphasis on job creation in his State of the Union address, saying jobs hold the key to restoring the nation's economic prosperity but also expressing caution at the President's emphasis on manufacturing.

Starbucks has released a letter in full support of same-sex marriage rights. It's a bold move considering just how much PR trouble other large brands like Home Depot are currently having with the issue.

Bon-Ton Stores said its Chief Executive Bud Bergren will move on to become the chairman of the board, and the company named Brendan Hoffman as its new top executive. Hoffman joins the department store operator after a stint at Lord & Taylor LLC, which was acquired by Hudson's Bay Co.

Gilt Groupe CEO Kevin Ryan said up to 90 of the company's 900 employees were being laid off. The departures include John Auerbach, who led the company's Park & Bond men's apparel site, and Nathan Richardson, who led the company's Gilt City daily deals operation.