Consumer Affairs & Relations

Woonsocket, R.I. – CVS/pharmacy launched its entrance into the Seattle market with the grand opening of a new location in the city of Renton, the first CVS/pharmacy in the state of Washington. In addition to the new store in Renton, the company will open two more Seattle-area stores in 2014 and will open its first store in the city of Seattle next summer.

With its entrance into Seattle, CVS/pharmacy now has a presence in all 20 top drugstore markets in the U.S. The Renton store is one of the first tobacco-free CVS locations in the U.S.

Littleton, Mass. – Net income at Dover Saddlery Inc. for the second quarter decreased 26% to $261,000, compared to $355,000 achieved in second quarter 2013. Higher selling, and general and administrative expenses helped cut the net income total.

Dover Saddlery is planning to open four-to-six retail stores in 2014. Until there is greater long-term visibility on sustainable economic conditions and consumer behavior, the company is not providing guidance on other business prospects.

St. Louis -- A settlement in a Schnuck Markets, Inc., security breach class-action lawsuit has been reached and a notification program is underway, as approved by the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri.

Customers of 79 Schnuck grocery stores are being alerted that the breach, which occurred between December 9, 2012 and March 30, 2013, has been settled and that they may be entitled to a share of the proceeds.

New York -- Barneys New York has settled its profiling and racial discrimination case, agreeing to pay $525,000 and implement measures to address potential future profiling chances.

The retailer’s Madison Avenue store has been under investigation by the New York State Attorney General’s office for the past nine months.

Orlando, Fla. -- Darden Restaurants, Inc., which operates the Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse banners among others, has completed the repurchase of approximately $900 million of the previously announced $1 billion debt retirement, leaving approximately $1.6 billion of debt on its balance sheet.

Cleveland -- WorkPlace Impact found in a recent survey that 49% of working female consumers are making millions of trips between Monday and Friday. What’s more, 46% of the women that WorkPlace Impact surveyed reported that they regularly purchase groceries on their way to or from the office or during a lunch break.

Further affirming that working women often have groceries on their mind during the workday, the study also found that 84.4% of the women surveyed said they regularly or occasionally add items to their grocery shopping lists at work.

Sears Holdings has appointed former Tesco executive Alasdair James as president and chief member officer for the Kmart business.

In this role, James will be responsible for driving the Kmart format strategy, managing the Kmart P&L and aligning merchandise, marketing, pricing and selling with the needs and wants of Shop Your Way members.

By Breton Leone-Quick and Steve Ganis