Management

Pirch is planning to shutter most of its locations as it overhauls operations. The high-end appliance and kitchen chain has been praised for its innovative retail experiences, including in-store chefs and try-before-you-buy mentality. Despite just opening up its Austin, Texas location in early May, Pirch is shuttering the storefront. In addition to the Austin location, Bloomberg reports…

A sunny, 85-degree day in August. For most people, that meant heading to the beach for one last summer getaway. For the retail world, it signaled another eTail conference in Boston. This year’s eTail East featured content that should help attending retailers make the most of the upcoming 2017 holiday shopping season. Throughout the conference,…

It’s clear that competition in the fashion and apparel business is as brutal as any. Every organization is faced with a changing retail environment, the impact of the internet, pressure on margins, and challenges of becoming efficient in every aspect of the business. It’s not surprising that these businesses are increasingly finding it necessary to…

Groupon announced that it has named Jennifer Carr-Smith as senior vice president, general manager of North America Local. In her new role, Carr-Smith will lead Groupon’s local business, including key areas such as health, beauty and wellness; things to do; food and drink; and sales operations. Carr-Smith most recently served as president of Peapod, and…

The Fresh Market, Inc. announced Monday the appointment of Larry Appel as the company’s president and chief executive officer, effective immediately. Appel, who has nearly 30 years of experience in retail, legal and corporate strategy, was also elected to the company’s board of directors. He had been CEO of Skeeter Snacks LLC, a producer of natural and…

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has announced a restructuring plan that will better help it keep up with the fast pace of change in the retail sector. The restructure includes changing the way individual stores report up through the company. Previously, there were six divisional groups, which are now being trimmed to four. In addition, 44 regional groups…

J.Crew this week announced that Somsack Sikhounmuong has resigned from the company as its chief design officer. Sikhounmuong, who joined J. Crew from Madewell in 2015, was promoted to replace Jenna Lyons back in April, who had been with the apparel retailer for 26 years. Now the position is open again. "His [Sikhounmuong's] current responsibilities,…

Target is planning to hire 100,000 workers for the upcoming holiday season, a 43 percent increase from last year, after keeping seasonal hiring flat for the last four years. Target also said it will hire 4,500 people for the season at its distribution and fulfillment centers, which supply products to its 1,816 stores as well…

Best Buy will no longer sell security software from Russian internet security company Kaspersky Lab after concerns that the company could be unduly influenced by the Russian government. This summer, the Moscow-based cybersecurity company has faced a series of allegations that it could be influenced by the Kremlin. Due to those concerns, Best Buy decided to stop…

Amazon.com said last week that it will spend more than $5 billion to build another headquarters in North America to house as many as 50,000 employees. Since that announcement, more than 20 cities have applied, according to an article in the The Business Journal. Cities have a little more than a month to apply, and they must…