Management

OfficeMax has named a new executive to lead its merchandising initiatives, including category management, strategic product planning, global sourcing, private label expansion and cost of goods sold. The company anounced that Ronald Lalla has been named executive vice president, chief merchandising officer, effective Monday, March 19. Lalla will report to Michael Lewis, executive vice president, president retail. "Ron is a strategic merchant with a strong financial acumen who will focus on driving disciplined processes to enhance the customer experience and improve margins," said Ravi Saligram, president and CEO of OfficeMax.

J. C. Penney has announced the promotion of a number of current executives and the appointment of several highly respected retail veterans who will be at the forefront of redefining the J.C. Penney brand and shopping experience.

Walgreens is piloting a program to hire cognitively and physically disabled employees in its stores across the country, according to CEO Greg Wasson. The company's distribution centers in South Carolina and Connecticut are already about 50 percent staffed with disabled workers, he said.

George Soros has found a new financial disaster from which to profit: American Apparel. The billionaire octogenarian who, like American Apparel's controversial CEO Dov Charney, has lately been entangled in lawsuits with young, beautiful women, is backing a firm that's in talks to extend a credit line worth as much as $80 million to the cash-strapped clothing chain, The Post has learned. The credit facility from Crystal Financial, a Boston-based firm that boasts Soros’ hedge fund as its lead investor, will immediately replace and expand a $75 million revolving credit line from Bank of America.

Starting today, TOURNEAU, a retailer of fine timepieces, will begin the painstaking task of shifting forward its expansive inventory of watches in accordance with Daylight Saving Time. Spread over 35 stores across the country, over 1,000 TOURNEAU watch technicians will begin the monumental process of changing hundreds of thousands of timepieces from the 111 brands the stores carry: a process that will take two full days to complete nationwide.

Ever wonder how Wal-Mart gets the price of toilet paper so low? In part, it could be because the workers who distribute products are paid below minimum wage, according to the allegations of a new lawsuit. 

Ikea workers and trade union leaders from around the world will meet in Istanbul from March 6 to March 8 to launch the UNI IKEA Global Union Alliance to ensure good working conditions for all workers at all Ikea workplaces across the globe.

Shoppers are like laboratory rats these days. From the time shoppers walk into stores, their footsteps, eye movements, choices and reactions to discounts are often closely monitored. With this analysis, stores can determine with startling accuracy whether changes such as remodeled stores, specific deals and more salespeople will make people spend more.

Tesco, Britain's largest grocer, says it will hire 20,000 additional workers in Britain over the next two years as it opens new stores and improves its fresh food offering. The new hires represent a 7 percent increase on the company's current U.K. workforce of 290,000.

The Kronox Retail Labor Index released on Thursday showed that retail hiring is on the rise, even as fewer people seek jobs in the retail sector. The index jumped to 4.2 percent, up nearly 7 percent from last year, indicating a potential recovery in the labor market.