Management

A former Target manager says that he was more or less forced to work through his mandatory breaks — and then fired for doing so. This prompted quite a few current and former Target workers to write to us with their own stories of Target employment woe.

Home improvement chain Lowe’s will lay off 1,950 workers and close 20 stores in 15 states, the company said. Two of the locations on the chopping block are in California. Lowe’s said that it closed 10 stores on Oct. 16 and will phase out the rest in a month.

Wal-Mart said Ed Chan, president of its China operations, quit as the company grapples with a pork labeling probe that shut all 13 of its stores in Chongqing and led to the detention of at least 27 people.

Target said Online President Steve Eastman has left the company, one month after the retailer’s website crashed from overwhelming demand for new designer apparel. Eastman left the company to “pursue other opportunities,” Target said in a statement. Target did not name a replacement in the press release.

Victoria's Secret Direct, the internet and catalog division of Victoria's Secret, announced that Pia Ferrario will remain in her role as CEO through holiday and then transition into an advisory role with the company. Bridget Ryan-Berman, former chief executive officer of Giorgio Armani Corp., will join Victoria's Secret Direct as its chief executive officer.

Wal-Mart is getting another public bludgeoning in China as anger over food safety and political fighting make the retail giant a convenient target. Authorities in the city of Chongqing have arrested two employees, closed down 13 Wal-Mart stores for two weeks and fined the company $421,000.

A group of Wal-Mart employees seeking better wages and working conditions marched on the retailer's headquarters Oct. 12 but said they were turned away without meeting with company officials. Around 100 members of Organization United for Respect at Walmart (OUR Walmart) said they assembled so as to "offer solutions for improving the company's ailing U.S. store operations," on the same day of the company's annual investor conference.

After Chinese newspaper Global Times published an open letter from employees at a Shenzhen Gucci flagship detailing complaints about working conditions — including rules dictating that employees request permission before using the bathroom or drinking water — the luxury Italian fashion house has initiated an investigation into local mismanagement.

Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores said it will increase its workforce by more than 15 percent for the holiday season. Tom Williams, senior vice president of human resources for Jo-Ann, announced the company has begun the seasonal recruiting process and will hire more than 3,000 additional employees before the holidays. The company attributes the seasonal hiring to anticipation of increased traffic in stores through the holiday season.

Retail hiring levels have reached the highest mark in nearly three years. The Kronos Retail Labor Index, which characterizes the current state of the demand and supply sides of the labor market within the U.S. retail sector, rose to 3.9 percent in September, reflecting a strong gain in hires and a modest decline in applications, all on a seasonally adjusted basis.