Retail Briefs

Independent department store chain Lord and Taylor named Roger Adams to the newly created position of svp and chief marketing officer, reporting to president and ceo Jane Elfers. Adams was most recently cmo at The Home Depot; he formerly worked at Pepsi, Nabisco, Keebler and General Motors.

Adams will build on the new L&T re-branding campaign. Under Elfers' guidance the 47-unit retailer is upscaling merchandise, improving services and amenities, and overhauling its online space. L&T also plans to add home and jewelry departments, leveraging the expertise and image of Fortunoff, acquired in February by Lord & Taylor owner NRDC Equity.

The first Ikea store in New York City, a 346,000-square-foot unit in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn, is set to open on June 18. The 275-store Swedish home furnishings retailer has three other metro New York doors, in Elizabeth and Paramus, N.J. and the Long Island town of Hicksville. The Brooklyn unit has a 6.5-acre public waterfront esplanade and transit options that include a ferry link to lower Manhattan. Mike Baker, store manager, said 500 employees will be hired to run the location.

Calling it a streamlining "first step," 261-store general merchandiser Duckwall-ALCO Stores said several corporate managers "have been terminated." Departing are: John Sturdivant, svp store operations; Ron Mapp, svp merchandising; Mike Gawin, vp and dmm softlines; and Virginia Meyer, vp marketing. Store ops will now be overseen by Phil Hixon, who arrived from Michael's Stores in December and was named svp store development in February. Bob Swartz is elevated from vp-dmm hardlines to vp, gmm; Brent Streit is promoted from vp supply chain management to vp supply chain and marketing.