(WisBusiness.com) NEWS SUMMARY – SAMPLE

From WisBusiness.com …

— Kohl’s Corp. reported today that total sales for the five-week month ended January 3, 2009 increased 3.6 percent over the five-week month ended January 5, 2008. On a comparable store basis, sales decreased 1.4 percent.

Total year-to-date sales decreased 0.1 percent from the comparable prior year period. On a comparable store basis, year-to-date sales decreased 6.6 percent.

Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s president and chief executive officer, commented, “December sales results were aided by last-minute shoppers and strong post-Christmas business. Inventory levels, particularly seasonal clearance, are significantly below last year. Going forward, we intend to continue to plan sales and inventory conservatively in order to maximize profitability.”

A Kohl’s press release said the company’s expectation for January comparable sales performance is a decrease of mid to high teens.

See the Kohl’s release: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20090108005224/en

— Lands’ End Business Outfitters is holding its third annual makeover contest — companies have until March 13, 2009 to visit http://makeover.landsend.com to enter for the chance to win a new look for their employees.

See details: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=109&STORY=/www/story/01-07-2009/0004950645&EDATE=

— A proponent of Milwaukee’s pending paid sick leave ordinance downplayed its potential impact on local businesses, while an opponent said it would reduce jobs and other benefits during a panel discussion before the Milwaukee Press Club.

The ordinance, scheduled to take effect in February, will require employers with more than 10 workers to provide up to nine days of paid sick leave per year to employees. For smaller businesses, the requirement is up to five days per year.

Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce President Tim Sheehy, whose group has filed a legal challenge to the ordinance, said Wednesday the requirement would result in the creation of fewer jobs in Milwaukee, prevent some businesses from locating or expanding in the city and result in reductions of other worker benefits to fund the mandate. Sheehy said the mandate would essentially draw a circle around the city when it came to business location decisions and described it as a jobs killer.

“This is a nine-day blunt hammer that is going to clobber jobs in Milwaukee,” Sheehy said

Amy Stear, Wisconsin director of 9to5, the group that led the signature drive to get the binding referendum on the ballot, dismissed those concerns. She noted that San Francisco has added jobs since the requirement passed there. She pointed to a panel discussion some 20 years ago in which she said Sheehy and others made similar arguments about Wisconsin passing the family and medical leave act ahead of the federal government doing so.

“None of the things you said then came true, and we don’t believe they’re going to come true now,” Stear said.

Read more from the discussion: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=145062

— The state Supreme Court heard oral arguments Wednesday in a case observers say could impact corporate case law in Wisconsin.

The case involves two Grant County businessmen — Daniel Virnich and Jack Moores — who operated Communications Products Corp. After the company defaulted on its loans, attorney Michael Polsky sued on behalf of American Trust & Savings Bank alleging that the two men paid themselves excessive salaries instead of paying creditors. The bank won a $6.5 million jury verdict in circuit court. Virnich and Moores appealed the decision.

Defense attorney Donald Schott painted the owners as well-intentioned stewards of the company who kept payments up to date and took care of their workers, creditors, bankers and clients, save for one, American Trust and Savings.

When Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson asked plaintiff’s attorney Robert Kasieta to assess the case, he likened it to corporate plundering, saying it was a case of “Wall Street comes to Main Street” as he detailed how Moores and Virnich got millions from the company.

Read more on the oral arguments: http://www.wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=145046

Watch video of the oral arguments: mms://71.87.25.133/sct/sct_090107_case_1.wmv

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