Consumer Affairs & Relations

New York -- Walmart and Lowe’s have joined the Pacific Business Group on Health Negotiating Alliance (PBGH-NA) to launch the national Employers Centers of Excellence Network that will offer no-cost knee and hip-replacement surgeries for employees at four highly regarded hospitals in the United States.

New York -- Fifth & Pacific Cos., formerly known as Liz Claiborne, agreed to sell its Juicy Couture brand to Authentic Brands Group for $195 million, according to various reports.  

"This decision is the result of a process we began last year—studying our resource allocation needs, our capital structure, and the operating risks and opportunities associated with a three-brand portfolio while still maximizing shareholder value," said William McComb, CEO of Fifth & Pacific, in a statement.

A manufacturing facility in Rogers, Ar., operated by Redman & Associates plans to hire 74 new workers as it increases domestic sourcing of ride-on toys sold at Walmart.

Leading food company ConAgra is out with its 2013 Citizenship Report detailing progress on a three-pronged citizenship platform of, “good for you, good for the community and good for the planet.”

The report is intended to show how the company is doing good through food while delivering growth for shareholders and is available here.

San Francisco – Twitter has officially filed for an IPO with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The social network reported a net loss of $79.4 million, down 38% from the previous year, on revenue of $316.9 million in 2012, a 198% increase from 2011.

In addition, Twitter said in the filing it has 215 million members who send 500 million tweets per day.

A recent string of media reports has focused on major retailers that track customers who return merchandise. While the plaintiffs’ bar and the media are seeking to transform return monitoring into a headline-grabbing consumer privacy issue, the practice is hardly new, it is certainly justified as an anti-fraud measure and any litigation or compliance risk should be mitigated by appropriate disclosures.

Ahold USA-owned supermarket chain Giant Food Stores celebrated its 90th birthday.

The supermarket banner, which operates nearly 200 stores under the Giant and Martin's Food Markets brands in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, marked its anniversary Friday morning at a store in its hometown of Carlisle, Pa. Customers at all the company's 200 stores will receive free slices of cake and free apple slices Friday.

The Clorox Company has updated its strategic growth plan. Called the 2020 Strategy, it focuses on delivering long-term, profitable growth through the year 2020 and builds upon the company's recently completed centennial strategy.