Consumer Affairs & Relations

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Sheets, makers of dissolvable energy strips, has partnered with Walmart and Pitbull to launch a local Facebook page contest among local Walmart stores, to offer customers the chance to win a visit by Mr. Worldwide.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Co. details its expansion plans for Latin America, including the opening of its first shop in Costa Rica on June 20. The company also said it plans to open "several hundred stores” in Brazil the next five years. (Starbucks has full ownership of its business in Brazil.)

Starbucks and joint-venture partner Alsea expect to add more than 300 new stores in Argentina and Mexico by 2015.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets has raised $191,000 in donations and pet supplies for 94 local animal shelters and rescue organizations in its five state market area through its Paws for Pets program, nearly double the total raised in 2011.

The four-week program ran through Memorial Day weekend in the Company's stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia.  During this time, 64 stores also hosted pet adopt-a-thon events with local pet organizations.

Harrisburg, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO said Tuesday that workers, union leaders and shareholders will attend Rite Aid's annual shareholder meeting in Harrisburg, Pa., on June 21.

The group will hold a "Summit Meeting," attended by groups from California, Florida, Ohio, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia, and followed by a media briefing.

Rite Aid workers have attended four previous shareholder meetings. 
 

PHOENIX — PetSmart shareholders should be pretty pleased with their investment now that the company's board of directors has raised the quarterly dividend. The board has approved an 18% increase to PetSmart's quarterly dividend, from 14 cents to 16.5 cents per share beginning in the second quarter of fiscal 2012.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has released its 2011 Corporate Responsibility Report, and while the company was happy to offer insight into its past performance, its focus is on the future. In that vein, the company has introduced new corporate responsibility goals:
 

• To increase its sustainable seafood selection by ennsuring its fresh and frozen seafood offerings are 100% sustainable and traceable by the end of fiscal year 2015.

• Enhance at least 50 owned-brand packaging designs to be more sustainable.

CARLISLE, Pa. — The Federal Trade Commission has approved Giant Food Stores' proposal to acquire 15 Genuardi's stores from Safeway.

The news follows Giant's Jan. 5 announcement that it would acquire the Genuardi's stores, all of which are located in the greater Philadelphia market. Giant also noted that under the terms of a consent order approved by the FTC, the Genuardi's located in Newtown, Pa., will be purchased by Newtown Market and will be operated as a McCaffrey's supermarket.

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Callaway Golf Company has named Harry Arnett as SVP marketing. In this role, Arnett assumes leadership of the company's global marketing, communications and go-to-market functions.  The announcement was made by Chip Brewer, president and CEO, Callaway Golf.

Even though no retailer has done more to enhance food safety in China than Walmart, the company found itself in the headlines again this week as regulators discovered products containing banned ingredients on the retailer’s shelves.

Media reports said Walmart removed products from shelves after a food safety official in Beijing discovered high levels of cadmium in squid and excessive benzopyrene in sesame oil. Walmart said it had received appropriate regulatory documents from suppliers prior to offering the products, according to reports.

CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Dollar Tree shareholders have re-elected a number of board members among other initiatives passed at the company's annual meeting.

Shareholders re-elected Arnold S. Barron, Macon F. Brock, Jr., Mary Anne Citrino, J. Douglas Perry, Thomas A. Saunders III, Thomas E. Whiddon, and Carl P. Zeithaml to serve on the board of directors. Each of these Directors received a majority of the votes cast at the meeting.