Only one change at Hudson's in Florida

I’m not absolutely sure this is true (or legal) but here’s something for our readers to chew on:

Hudson’s of Sanford, Fla., has named Sampson Hudson chief financial officer.

That would be owner and President Fred Hudson’s dog, and I’m getting this from the horse’s mouth.

Rumors about the financial health of the Top 100 company have been circulating on and off for months, and when I asked Fred Hudson about the latest - which had to do with a possible change in control of the retailer - I could hear him laughing.

He has heard the rumors too, but reassured me the only change was the naming of Sampson CFO. I failed to ask who he replaces and how much he’s getting paid.

An industry source who asked not to be identified tells me he met Sampson a few weeks ago and that he’s “a good dog” who rides shotgun with Fred Hudson in his pickup truck. The source was not surprised by the Sampson news.

“He already was a vice president,” he said.