Management

Neiman Marcus Group announced that Karen Katz, the company's president and chief executive officer, will retire Feb. 12. Fashion and retail veteran Geoffroy van Raemdonck will succeed Katz as the company’s CEO. Katz will continue to serve on the company’s board of directors and will work closely with van Raemdonck to facilitate a seamless transition process.…

Sears Holdings, parent company of Sears and Kmart, told its employees Thursday that it will be closing more than 100 additional stores this year, according to a report from CNBC. The store closings consist of 64 Kmart stores and 39 Sears stores, all of which are expected to shut their doors between early March and…

Neiman Marcus CEO Karen Katz is stepping down, sources familiar with the matter told CNBC. The luxury retailer has already identified her replacement, the sources added. The successor could be named as soon as tomorrow, some of the sources said. The sources asked not to be named because the information is confidential. Neiman Marcus did not have…

Nordstrom announced that it's hiring 250 employees for its first stand-alone men's store in Manhattan, which is slated to open in April. To promote the start of employee hiring, the retailer wrapped the exterior of its new men's store with larger-than-life "help wanted" banners incorporating witty job descriptions like "Desperately Seeking Sock Svengali," "Now Hiring: Sneaker…

For years, the retail industry has been plagued with the increasingly high costs of labor. Labor cost optimization (LCO), a framework surrounding scheduling and timekeeping, is a sustainable solution that can elevate operational and human resource leadership out of their reactive cycles so they can focus on what they should be — business and talent.…

Macy’s has  announced the appointment of Jill Ramsey as chief product and digital revenue officer, effective Jan. 8. In her role, Ramsey will focus on bridging the physical and digital worlds together through seamless customer experiences. She will have oversight of both product and revenue for…

Lowe’s has named Vikram Singh senior vice president, chief digital officer, effective Jan. 4. Singh will report to Michael P. McDermott, chief customer officer. The newly created position is designed to accelerate Lowe’s digital evolution and drive a holistic integrated strategy to…

After hearing Andrew Berg speak at Luxury Interactive, we had to learn more. Andrew is president at Robert Graham, a self-described “American eclectic” purveyor of luxury menswear. Andrew’s vision for a brand that encapsulates the feel of luxury while maintaining a vibrant personality was contagious, and we loved hearing his strategy for brand cohesiveness. Holly…

Though the job of a corporate board member has never been easy, show special sympathy for anyone serving as a retailing director over the past few years. The traditional board concerns of retail and measures of success — profit margins, inventory turnover, sales per square foot, traffic, conversions — are under attack by e-commerce. Doing all the traditional things well can leave you in the same position as Kmart, Sears or The Limited.

This is the second part of a two-part series. You can read part one here.  Though the job of a corporate board member has never been easy, show special sympathy for anyone serving as a retailing director over the past few years. The traditional board concerns of retail and measures of success — profit margins, […]