Management

Hurricane Irma, the strongest storm in the Atlantic Ocean on record — which at the time of writing is forecast to be heading towards the coasts of Florida — is expected to cause retailers serious grief. Business weather intelligence provider Planalytics assessed Irma's potential economic impact and reported that lost retail sales could total $1.45 billion…

Vitamin World Inc. plans to file for bankruptcy protection to restructure the business and renegotiate its store leases. The retailer of vitamins, nutritional supplements, and sports nutrition and beauty products will file next week for Chapter 11 reorganization to restructure its 334-store real estate portfolio and have the ability to renegotiate “problematic lease agreements” with…

Toys"R"Us is rumored to be considering a bankruptcy filing. CNBC reports the toy retailer has hired a law firm to help restructure its roughly $400 million in debt due in 2018, a move that could include the toy store filing for bankruptcy protection. "As we previously discussed on our first quarter earnings call, Toys"R"Us is evaluating…

Mario Gallione has been appointed president of Genesco Inc.’s Journeys retail division. In his new role, Gallione assumes responsibility for all aspects of the Journeys and Journeys Kidz retail operations, including stores in the U.S. and Canada as well as journeys.com and journeys.ca. Gallione, who most recently served as chief merchandising officer of The Journeys Group, is a 38-year…

Abercrombie & Fitch has named has named Scott Lipesky as its chief financial officer. Lipesky joins Abercrombie & Fitch from American Signature Inc., a privately held home furnishings company, where he was CFO. Previously, Lipesky served as CFO of Abercrombie’s Hollister brand for nine years. "Scott has strong relationships here and an intimate knowledge of our…

GNC Holdings announced that its board of directors has appointed Ken Martindale as chief executive officer, effective Sept. 11. Martindale most recently served as CEO of Rite Aid Stores and president of Rite Aid Corporation, where he was instrumental in leading the company's transformation, including the roll out of a new store format and an expansion…

Starbucks has hired former president and CEO of Sam’s Club, Rosalind Brewer, as chief operating officer and group president, effective Oct. 2. Brewer will lead the company's operating businesses across the U.S., Canada and Latin America, as well as the global functions of supply chain, product innovation and store development organizations. "Starbucks is a culture-first…

Estee Lauder is being sued by federal regulators for discriminating against men. Bloomberg reports the cosmetic company’s parental leave policy allows new fathers to take two weeks of paid leave for “child bonding,” while new mothers get six weeks, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “It's wonderful when…

Target recently announced the appointment of Minsok Pak as executive vice president, chief strategy and innovation officer. Pak will be responsible for Target’s enterprise strategy development and retail innovation with the goal of enhancing the guest experience and accelerating growth. He will also oversee business development for the company, including mergers, acquisitions, partnerships and joint…

This is part two of a two-part series on changing course in the late stage of your professional career. You can read part one here.  What Are the Wins? The positives of making a career change are obvious. Most people are giving something back in some way while gaining a good deal personally. Many really…