Content about Person Attributes

Robotics and smartphone app power Amazon vet's retail start-up

A Seattle-based retail start-up with an in-store backend robotic system and a smartphone app that rivals the convenience of an online shopping cart is generating big buzz these days. Founded and headed up by Nadia Shouraboura, former head of supply chain and fulfillment technologies for Amazon.com, Hointer combines the best of online and brick-and-mortar retailing to take the hassle out of shopping.

New York -- Wal-Mart Stores has identified two internal candidates to succeed CEO Mike Duke, Bloomberg News reported.
   
The two candidates are Bill Simon, 53 and head of Walmart U.S., and Doug McMillon, 46, head of the company's international business, according to the report.

Columbus, Ohio -- Discount retailer Big Lots has named David Campisi, 57, as CEO and president of Big Lots, effective May 6. The 30-year-industry veteran most recently served as chairman and CEO of Respect Your Universe, a publicly traded company focused on premium performance apparel and equipment. Prior to that, he was an executive with The Sports Authority for nearly seven years, rising to become chairman and CEO.

New York -- Christopher Finazzo, 57, who was an executive VP and chief merchandising officer at Aeropostale, was found guilty on Thursday of 14 counts of mail fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each of the fraud convictions and up to five years for the conspiracy charge.
      
The jury took less than five hours to reach the verdict, which came after a three-week criminal trial in Brooklyn, N.Y.
     

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Safeway Inc. said that Bruce Everette, 61, is retiring as EVP retail operations after a 44-year career at Safeway. He will be replaced by Kelly Griffith, currently the president of merchandising.

“We are deeply grateful to Bruce for his significant and lasting contribution to our company's success," said chairman and CEO Steve Burd. "He is the consummate operating executive whose results and people-oriented approach to the business leave an unmistakable imprint on who we are as a company."

Some are merchants, with long careers in brick-and-mortar stores. Others are tech trailblazers, using new media to match merchandise and buyers. Others are influencing retail in less direct, but no less significant, ways. All share an ability to create new opportunities and, in their own way, are looking to reinvent the shopping experience. And all wield a great deal of influence in today’s complex retail landscape.

Jeff Gordman is following in the family tradition. As president, chairman and CEO of Gordmans, he leads a company whose roots go back nearly 100 years, to when his grandfather opened a store in downtown Omaha in 1915.

From that one store, the company evolved over the years, eventually expanding beyond Nebraska. It also added a discount division, Half Price Stores. By 1990 the company had 32 stores, equally divided between the two divisions.

New York -- J.C. Penney Co. on Wednesday said that CFO Michael Dastugue will depart the company, effective April 13. Dastugue, 47, has been at J.C. Penney since 1991. He was named CFO in January 2011. His departure is the latest shake-up in management as new CEO Ron Johnson works to transform the chain.

Mike Kramer, COO, will assume the CFO duties on an interim basis while a search for a replacement is conducted. Kramer joined J.C. Penney in December, shortly after his former boss at Apple Inc., Ron Johnson, became J.C. Penney's CEO.

New York City -- Apple Inc. has hired John Browett, CEO of Dixons Retail PLC, the United Kingdom’s largest consumer-electronics retailer, to lead its retail store division. The appointment marks the end of a seven-month search to replace Ron Johnson, who left the world’s most valuable technology company last year to become CEO of J.C. Penney Co.

Minneapolis -- SuperValu Inc. said Tuesday it has named Michael Moore as executive VP and chief marketing officer.

Moore, 47, joined the company in 2011 in the role of business transformation officer. He succeeds Julie Dexter Berg, who left the company to return to the West Coast.

Moore previously held a variety of executive leadership positions within customer business development at Procter & Gamble.
 

Plano, Texas -- J. C. Penney Co. has tapped another former Apple executive to join its executive ranks. J. C. Penney announced that Kristen E. Blum has been named executive VP and chief technology officer, effective Jan. 23. She reports to COO Mike Kramer, and has responsibility for the company's jcp.com business and information technology systems.