Management

Frederik Meijer, who built the regional retail powerhouse Meijer while nurturing his lifelong love of the arts, died late Nov. 25 at a hospital in western Michigan. He was 91. The billionaire passed away at the Spectrum Health System in Grand Rapids after suffering a stroke in his home early that morning, according to a statement issued by the company.

Target has promoted Casey Carl to president of multichannel and senior vice president of merchandising, a move that will now have him oversee the recently relaunched Target.com. The discount store chain said that Carl, who most recently served as senior vice president of hardlines and as a co-lead on Target's multichannel steering committee, takes over the posts effective immediately.

Online luxury clothing retailer Gilt Groupe plans to launch an initial public offering late next year or possibly in 2013, the company's chief executive told the Financial Times. "I think it's entirely possible that in 2013, depending on the markets and depending on how things are going, that we would look to go public," Chief Executive Kevin Ryan was quoted as saying.

Tom Casey, who joined American Apparel in October 2010 to help the ailing company recover its financial standing, has resigned from his role as acting president just two months shy of his 15-month contract. He's the third major name to jump ship in the past two months.

Whether it’s an unbeatable return policy, a helpful sales associate or 24-hour shopping convenience, holiday shoppers define customer service in a variety of ways. The National Retail Federation Foundation has announced the top 10 retailers for excellent customer service selected by shoppers in the seventh annual NRF Foundation/American Express Customers’ Choice survey.

2011 was the kind of year that tests leaders. So when Fortune set out to pick a Businessperson of the Year (and 49 runners-up), great stories were easy to find.

Dov Charney, the somewhat creepy and financially plagued American Apparel founder, may have some skeletons in the closet. How do we know? American Apparel’s director of marketing reportedly just got a huge, huge advance to write a tell-all.

Amazon.com is seeking military veterans to fill the tens of thousands of permanent and temporary positions in its nationwide fulfillment network. Job opportunities include management positions in operations management, safety and corporate operations and hourly roles in picking, packing and shipping/receiving.

The Children's Place has announced the appointment of Lori Tauber Marcus as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, effective Nov. 16. Marcus will be responsible for brand strategy, e-commerce, CRM, creative services, public relations, social media and visual merchandising.

J.C. Penney certainly doesn't have the dedicated following that Apple does, but it's hoping that new CEO Ron Johnson will be able to bring the innovative strategy he used to develop Apple's retail stores — including concepts like the Genius Bars — to the department chain.