Personnel

Hear best practices around how to motivate and empower your staff to make your customers feel every bit as important as they are.

J.C. Penney's chief marketing officer Deb Berman has resigned. She joined Plano, Texas-based Penney in August 2013 from Kraft Foods Group where she was vice president of marketing strategy and engagement. Penney said in a statement Tuesday that Berman's departure was her decision. "J.C. Penney is grateful for her service, and we wish her well in all future endeavors," the company said. Berman was part of CEO Mike Ullman's rebuilding team after the company lost a lot of high-level talent during former CEO Ron Johnson's attempt to remake the department store in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Irvin J. Borowsky, the publisher and philanthropist who founded North American Publishing Co. (NAPCO), the parent company of Retail Online Integration, died Nov. 25 in Philadelphia, a few days after his 90th birthday.

As if you don't have enough to worry about this holiday season, a report came out earlier this month that American retail staff steal a lot more from their employers than actual dedicated thieves. According to The Global Retail Theft Barometer report released by Checkpoint Systems, employee theft cost U.S. retailers $18 billion in 2013.

Aerie's bold decision to ditch Photoshop and other retouching tools in its lingerie ads may be paying off in more than just good karma and public approval. According to Business Insider, the branch of American Eagle specializing in intimates and sleepwear saw a 9 percent increase in sales in the last quarter. The company announced earlier this year it would leave everything from beauty marks to tattoos in its ad campaigns.

RadioShack named former U.S. Treasury Department adviser Harry Wilson as its chief revitalization officer, enlisting a turnaround expert who helped restructure General Motors and Chrysler. Wilson, founder of the advisory firm Maeva Group, will report to RadioShack's board and CEO Joe Magnacca, the Fort Worth, Texas-based company said in a statement. The struggling electronics chain, which received a rescue financing package earlier this month, cited Wilson's experience reviving U.S. automakers in the wake of the recession. He was a senior member of the Auto Task Force, which led the Treasury Department's role in revamping GM and Chrysler.

Sam's Club announced Wednesday that it's opening a private health insurance exchange for its members, a move that's aimed at providing the small business owners that are its core customers with a way to offer affordable insurance coverage to their employees. The launch of the exchange is the latest effort from a major retailer to offer a service that pushes beyond the industry's traditional business of selling goods. Sam's Club, which is a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., says its private insurance marketplace is part of a broader attempt to build customer loyalty.

Wal-Mart is eliminating health benefits for about 30,000 employees to control its rising health care costs. The cut applies to part-timers who work fewer than 30 hours a week, Wal-Mart — about 2 percent of

They compete tooth and nail to draw customers to their Midtown flagship stores, but Macy's and J.C. Penney are teaming up to block the thievery of organized crooks. The rivals have joined more than 100 companies and the NYPD to form an alliance that will be known as the Metropolitan Organized Retail Crime Alliance. Its objective is to improve retail stores’ security efforts by sharing intelligence on crews of bandits, scams and ripoffs. Target, Home Depot and Rite Aid have also signed up for the crime-busting venture. Computer giant Apple is poised to jump onboard soon, sources said.

Toys"R"Us, the world's largest specialty toy store chain, on Tuesday announced plans to hire 45,000 workers at its 877 U.S. stores and distribution centers for the 2014 holidays, more than doubling its total workforce. The jobs include sales associates, stock crew and omnichannel fulfillment teams, as well as distribution center workers and department managers. The news comes days after rival Wal-Mart announced it's hiring 60,000 seasonal workers and offering additional hours to its current employees for the holidays.