Consumer Affairs & Relations

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar Stores has named Jon Broz to the position of VP and assistant general counsel, litigation. Broz will report to James Snyder, Jr., SVP general counsel and secretary.

“We are excited to have someone with Jon’s breadth of retail litigation experience join our team,” said Snyder. “Jon has a strong reputation for working closely with his clients and seeking creative solutions to resolve disputes quickly and cost effectively.”

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Safeway has named Robert Edwards president of the company. Edwards has served as Safeway's EVP and CFO since 2004.

Edwards, 56, will have overall responsibility for the company's retail operations, marketing, merchandising, corporate brands, manufacturing, distribution and finance functions.  He will continue as CFO until a successor is named to the position.

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores has named Jon Broz to the position of VP and assistant general counsel, litigation.

Broz comes to Family Dollar from Lowe’s Cos.
 

New York -- State and federal authorities in New Jersey broke up a multistate theft ring that stole merchandise from Home Depot Inc. stores by not ringing up all items at self-checkout counters, the Associated Press reported.

The thieves were active in about 70 Home Depot stores, mostly in New Jersey, and also in New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia.

Is Walmart’s private brand White Cloud toilet tissue too good? That’s the question the company has to be asking itself about the product’s specifications after seeing recent test results from Consumer Reports.

Walmart is the nation’s largest food retailer, and 140 million people shop its stores each week, yet somehow the company ranked second to last on a ranking of the best and worst supermarkets in America.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has committed $15,000 in cash and gift cards to assist the Texas communities impacted by recent tornados. Cash donations will be distributed to The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. In addition, Target has donated gift cards to other local nonprofit organizations for essentials such as water and food.

Toronto -- A spokesman for the Canadian Heritage Minister said Thursday that the government will conduct a review of Target’s store opening plans in the country to ensure its books, DVDs, music and other cultural products have enough Canadian content.

The review, which comes as Target is laying the groundwork to open in 2013 the first of 125 to 135 stores in former Zellers locations, falls under a “cultural heritage” provision in Canada’s foreign-takeover law.
 

A short video on the Bullseye View section of Target’s Web site feature new chief marketing officer Jeffrey Jones sharing his views on leadership, social media, partnership and what makes a successful CMO. The video is only one minute and 49 seconds long, but it is worth a gander and is also noteworthy from a communications standpoint as it is a great way for a company to expose a highly anticipated new hire to the marketplace, investors and its own employees. Click here.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — As a large, profitable retailer, Walmart is expected to give back. While many could argue it could do more, the company gave away $958.9 million in cash and in-kind contributions around the globe during the fiscal year ending Jan. 31. The company's U.S. giving grew nearly 20%, largely due to increased donations of produce, meats, poultry and other nutritious food to local food banks from Walmart stores, Sam's Club locations and distribution centers.