Consumer Affairs & Relations

The National Retail Federation is recognizing the nation's top law enforcement officers with the organization's annual loss prevention awards.

Recipients of the Ring of Excellence, Law Enforcement Retail Partnership and Retail Case of the Year will be honored during an awards ceremony at NRF PROTECT, the retail industry’s largest event for retail loss prevention executives in North America.

Washington, D.C. – Back-to-school spending for both K-12 and college students is on the upswing this year. According to a study of more than 6,400 adults with children in K-12 and college conducted by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights, 29% of K-12 households plan to spend more in the current year than the previous year, as do almost 30% of college households.

A study of 10,000 U.S. consumers revealed H-E-B, Publix and Trader Joe's are tops when it comes to making customers feel delighted.

Disney and Ralph Lauren are among the iconic American brands consumers consider the most "patriotic," according to a new survey.

Retail licensing group Sequential Brands, whose brands include Jessica Simpson, Ellen Tracy and Avia, is buying Martha Stewart's lifestyle collection, although the domestic diva will maintain creative control over product.

New York -- The home and lifestyle company that domestic diva Martha Stewart launched in 1997 has been acquired in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $353 million. It’s a big comedown for a company that was valued at $2 billion on the day of its initial public offering in 1999, but whose fortunes have been on the downslide for a while now.

Office Depot shareholders approved of the company’s acquisition by Staples in a vote that will prove to be largely symbolic if federal regulators determine a deal involving two direct competitors is not in the best interest of consumers.

Office Depot agreed to be acquired by Staples on Feb. 4 and on June 19 a preliminary vote total showed that 99.5% of shareholders approved of a deal that involves them receiving $7.25 in cash and 0.2188 of Staples stock for each share of Office Depot stock.

San Jose, Calif. – eBay Inc. has sold its 28.4% stake in Craigslist back to the online classified ad service inn a confidential settlement agreement. eBay initially purchased the stake from Craiglist in 2004, but the two parties have been involved in litigation for years.