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Chain Store Age asked Paul Carolan, chief development officer for Dallas-based Le Duff America, about the bakery-café company's aggressive growth plan in the United States.

The North American subsidiary of Paris-based Groupe Le Duff SA, Le Duff America now manages four brands in the United States: Bruegger's Bagels, la Madeleine Country French Café, Brioche Dorée and Mimi's Café, which was acquired in March.

Englewood, Col. -- The Sports Authority has appointed Paul M. Okimoto as the company’s new chief marketing officer.
 
Okimoto previously served as VP of marketing at RadioShack. He also held positions with the Nielsen Company as VP of corporate marketing and AT&T Wireless as head of integrated marketing communications.  
   

Fort Worth, Texas -- Trademark Property announced that Tony Chron has rejoined the company as chief development officer, effective April 15.

“Bringing Tony back is an important investment in our development capacity,” said Trademark chairman-CEO Terry Montesi. Chron will oversee Trademark’s power and community center development program as well as the company’s redevelopment efforts.
 

New York -- J.C. Penney announced Thursday that its COO Michael Kramer has resigned, along with chief talent officer Daniel Walker – bringing Penney’s April executive casualty number to five. Both resignations had been previously reported.

Kramer’s resignation was disclosed via a Securities and Exchange filing. He walked away with a $2+ million cash payment.

The two latest resignations follow CEO Ron Johnson’s departure last week, along with product development lead Nick Wooster and marketing VP Sissie Twiggs.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company announced that it has appointed Matthew Ryan as global chief strategy officer. Ryan was previously SVP of global brand, franchise and customer relationship management for The Walt Disney Company.

Cincinnati -- Kroger on Tuesday announced the planned retirement of VP and pension investment officer, Rich Manka. His retirement is effective July 15.

"Throughout his career, Rich has been a trusted member of Kroger's leadership team," stated Mike Schlotman, Kroger's CFO. "Pension plan trustees and participants alike have benefited from his vast knowledge and influence on investment strategies and plan designs. We thank Rich for his contributions to our company and industry and wish him the very best."

Mobility is sure to play an increasingly important role in Macy's omnichannel future, both in commerce and marketing. But don't look for the company to take a cookie-cutter approach.

New York -- Strong partnerships between the top information officer and others on the leadership team are crucial to success. According to a study by PwC US, companies with strong, collaborative relationships between the CIO and other C-suite executives are four times as likely to be top performing companies as those with fragmented relationships.
   

Chicago -- Claire's Stores announced Friday that Dina Keenan has been appointed global SVP and chief marketing officer, effectively immediately.

Keenan’s experience in marketing strategy, brand development, advertising and retail include stints at Bath & Body Works, Elizabeth Arden Red Door Salons & Spas, and Bozell Worldwide.

One of the initial focuses for Keenan will be to align her organization to support the global brand needs of Claire's and Icing, the company said.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples announced that John Burke, SVP business services, has been named to the newly created position of SVP chief culture officer. Burke joined Staples more than 23 years ago and led its Business Services team for 12 years.

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- CBL & Associates Properties announced that John N. Foy has retired as an officer of the organization and as a director and vice chairman of CBL’s board of directors.

Foy will remain until the end of the year to assist with the transition. His retirement concludes a 44-year career with the CBL organization and its predecessor company.

San Antonio -- The grocery industry, for the most part, lags in using online shopper insights for shopper and competitive advantage, according to a study developed in partnership with BeaconUnited, a national grocery broker, and ArchPoint Consulting, and powered by business intelligence firm Black Pearl Intelligence. Grocery-related social media conversations are now estimated at 10 million annually, yet many grocers are still slow to respond, the study found.