Consumer Affairs & Relations

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Walmart Foundation alongside six women’s foundations – The Washington Area Women’s Foundation, The New York Women’s Foundation, Women’s Fund of Mississippi, Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis and Women’s Funding Network – has launched the Partnership for Women’s Prosperity. The new national partnership intends to help economically vulnerable women gain financial and economic security through education, job training and employment opportunities.

Bentonville, Ark. -- The Walmart Foundation announced Tuesday the launch of its Partnership for Women’s Prosperity, a move to help economically vulnerable women gain financial and economic security through education, job training and employment opportunities.

Asheville, N.C. -- Ingles Markets’ new store in Mills River, N.C., has received an Energy Star certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that recognizes the energy efficiency of the store’s design. The store was awarded the certification after meeting strict EPA guidelines for the estimated energy use of the building.

Best Buy founder and former chairman Richard Schulze on Monday offered to buy the struggling retailer and take it private for as much as $8.8 billion. Schulze said he would offer Best Buy shareholders between $24 and $26 for each of their shares in the chain, according to a letter sent to the board that he made public.

New York -- J.C. Penney chairman and CEO Ron Johnson on Monday sent out an email to the chain’s customers  detailing how it is returning to the pricing policies its founder James Cash Penney intended.

"While you will see many changes, you can rest assured that we'll never lose sight of our founder's values," Johnson wrote. "When James Cash Penney built his first retail stores over a century ago, he called them 'The Golden Rule,' because treating customers with respect was his highest priority."

New York -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will adjust its future financial reports to add more detail on legal proceedings and cyber security after U.S. regulators asked the retailer to better explain certain matters in its latest quarterly and annual filings, Reuters reported.
   
Wal-Mart's correspondence with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission took place in June and July and was made public on Monday.

NEW YORK — Harwood Feffer LLP, a law firm that represents investors and investment groups, announced that it is investigating potential claims against the board of directors of Best Buy, concerning whether the board is fulfilling its fiduciary duties to shareholders in connection with an offer from the company's founder and former CEO, Richard Schulze, to take the company private.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreen Co. said that its same-store sales fell 7% in July as its split with Express Scripts continued to hurt its top line. (The two companies last month reached an agreement to resume doing business, but that doesn't start until Sept. 15.)

The company's pharmacy same-store sales were down 9.7%, while front end sales fell 2.4%. The performance missed analyst expectations.