Consumer Affairs & Relations

Walmart SVP talent development Celia Swanson has been added to the roster of speakers for the NWA Business Women’s Conference on Sept. 11 hosted by the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce. Swanson joined Sam’s Club with the Pace membership club acquisition in 1994 as the senior director of the people group. She served as VP of the people group at Sam’s until 1997 when she was promoted to run membership, marketing and administration. She was named EVP in 2000, assumed leadership of change management in 2005 and moved to her current role in 2009.

NEW YORK — Whole Foods Market is leading charge to promote the sale of sustainable seafood by becoming the first national grocer to stop selling red-rated seafood. The company announced that, beginning this Earth Day (April 22), it will no longer carry red-rated, wild-caught fish in its seafood departments. 

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General Corp. announced the opening of its 10,000 store, giving the retailer a coast-to-coast presence for the first time in its history. The location is in Merced, Calif., and is due to officially open on Saturday. It will be Dollar General’s fifth store to open in California.

“Opening the doors of our 10,000th store is a meaningful day for all of us at Dollar General, and we are excited to celebrate the occasion in California,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO.

New York -- Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, a Los Angeles community group, as filed an appeal against the building permits granted to Wal-Mart Stores to build a store in the city's Chinatown neighborhood, the Associated Press reported.

The chain obtained necessary permits to build a 33,000-sq-ft. store last week, one day before the City Council was due to vote on a building moratorium for large retail chains in Chinatown, the report said.
 

Brentwood, Tenn. -- Hobby Lobby International has named its first female president, hobby industry veteran, Debra Love.

Love has been at Hobby Lobby since 2009 when she joined as VP IT and communications, and most recently served as executive VP.
 

HOUSTON — Stage Stores announced Michael Glazer has been appointed to the position of president and CEO on an interim basis. Glazer replaces the company’s former president and CEO, Andy Hall, who the company announced has resigned from both the company and its board of directors to pursue other interests.

CALGARY — Safeway's Canada stores have launched an annual fundraising campaign designed to benefit Easter Seals and the Special Olympics.

During April, the company's 215 Safeway stores across western Canada will raise funds for organizations that are at the forefront of providing assistance, training, therapy and social outlets for the thousands of people who live with physical or intellectual disabilities.

MONTREAL — Walmart Canada and Breakfast Clubs of Canada, an organization that provides breakfast to Canadian school children, have raised $2.9 million through their Help Them Shine Campaign.

The money raised will help launch 125 new in-school breakfast programs and increase its training programs with a specific focus on nutrition, youth self-esteem and volunteerism, according to a press release.

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Fans of H&M will soon have a new place to shop as the Swedish fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB confirmed Thursday that it will open a new chain in 2013 that will build on the 2007 launch of its upscale Collection of Style (COS). No name for the new concept has been revealed yet.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said Thursday it will reduce prices on groceries by $1 billion in 2012, in hopes to draw customers in and encourage them to cross-shop in other areas of the store.

Wal-Mart had $145 billion in grocery sales last year in the United States, making it the largest player in terms of domestic grocery sales. It says the price reductions in food and consumables are an investment and won’t impact margins especially if shoppers respond as planned with additional traffic and loyalty.