Management

A new study dove into which of the big online retailers keep their customers on hold the longest. It found that Crate and Barrel takes the longest for correspondence, taking an average of 88 hours to get back to a customer email. Meanwhile BarnesandNoble.com ranked an average hold time of 8 minutes and 3 seconds.

Canadian yoga-wear maker lululemon athletica has hired former Crocs executive Chris Ladd as senior vice president of its recently revamped e-commerce division. The retailer said Ladd will head online business strategy, which includes global expansion plans for the website's services.

Higher salaries, job mobility and a strong emphasis on "quality of life" benefits are redefining the job market in retail and fashion, according to 24 Seven's Fifth Annual Salary Survey. The survey, conducted in collaboration with the American Apparel & Footwear Association, queried more than 2,000 professionals across the U.S. in all sectors including design, sales and marketing, merchandising, product development, operations, e-commerce and store level.

The retail sector saw fewer announced job cuts in June than in May, signaling industry improvement, according to a new report from Challenger, Gray & Christmas. The retail sector announced 1,415 layoffs in June, compared to 2,944 in May. Moreover, the number of job cuts announced by retail employers for the first six months of the year dropped 12 percent to 23,027 from a year earlier.

Two American Apparel Inc. board members resigned over the weekend. The move was expected after the Los Angeles clothing maker reported last week that it had appointed two new board members, one of them effective immediately, the other effective "upon future board vacancy."

Wal-Mart Stores announced that its U.K.-based Asda unit has promoted Judity McKenna to the position of chief operating officer. McKenna is currently Asda’s finance director.

To celebrate Independence Day in honor of military troops and their families, Old Navy announced its entire U.S. fleet of about 1,000 stores will host Operation Troop Donation: a donation drive to collect essential items needed by the men and women serving our country, away and at home.

With online purchases on the rise, some retailers are reducing the size of brick-and-mortar stores in an effort to lower costs. Staples, Office Depot and Best Buy are the latest retailers to unveil plans to reduce store footprints.

American Apparel, the clothing chain that raised cash earlier this year to avoid a shortfall, is in talks to replace two of its six board members, according to three people involved in the discussions.

Timberland's announced the appointment of Mark Newton as vice president of corporate social responsibility, effective June 13. In this new role, Newton will lead Timberland's diverse global team responsible for managing the organization's four areas of focus within CSR: environmental stewardship, global human rights, community engagement and transparency and reporting.