Retail briefs

The Home Depot plans to open a second unit in Manhattan next summer. In addition to the store planned for 23rd Street near Fifth Avenue — its first in the borough — an approximately 83,000-square-foot unit will be located at 59th Street and Third Avenue, near Bloomingdale's.

The new stores will be pedestrian-oriented, multiple-level "urban neighborhood" stores, with showrooms on separate mezzanine levels.

Long time Sears executive Lyle Heidemann will retire at the end of this year. In May, he was given responsibility for the home fashions division as part of an organizational restructuring. Heidemann, executive vp, gmm of hard lines, became executive vp, general manager, home and off-mall stores (excluding The Great Indoors and the new Sears Grand pilot stores). Heidemann has been with Sears for 36 years. No successor has been named at this time

Internet retailer Bluefly has named Melissa Payner-Gregor, former president and ceo of Spiegel Catalog, to fill a new role as president and a member of its board. Payner-Gregor will report directly to Ken Seiff, ceo, and will be responsible for Bluefly's merchandising, marketing and e-commerce groups. With more than 23 years of retail experience, Payner-Gregor spent six years at Spiegel, overseeing the catalog, Internet and outlet stores.

Hancock Fabrics has announced that Jack Busby, president and coo, will retire at the end of its fiscal year ending Feb. 1, 2004. James Austin, executive vp, operations, has been named coo effective with Busby's retirement. Busby first joined Hancock in 1966 as a store manager, and was promoted throughout the years, becoming evp, coo, in 1996, and then president and a member of its board the following year. Austin joined Hancock in 2001 with more than 20 years of retail merchandising and marketing experience.