Consumer Affairs & Relations

Walmart this week filed its annual report on form 10-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and in keeping with good disclosure practices around risk factors the company offered an update on the sex discrimination case that has been all over the news.

Washington, D.C. -- Combined Properties announced that Jessica Berets has joined the company as Assistant General Counsel. 

Berets will be responsible for drafting, negotiating and consummating a variety of legal documents, including lease agreements with tenants in the commercial retail real estate portfolio managed by Combined Properties, and providing advice and counsel to the company's leasing, construction and property management departments.
 

New York City -- Hennes & Mauritz AB Thursday reported that its net profit in the first quarter fell 30% from a year earlier on “significantly higher” cotton prices, higher transportation costs and a stronger Swedish krona. The chain said profit in the quarter ended Feb. 28 fell to 2.62 billion Swedish kronor ($414 million).

WASHINGTON -- The National Retail Federation announced that it welcomed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's commitment to complete final swipe fee reform regulations in time for retailers to begin offering customers discounts and other benefits this summer as scheduled.

STEVENSON, Md. — The law firm of Brower Piven on Tuesday announced that a class action lawsuit has commenced in the Delaware Chancery Court on behalf of all shareholders of Drugstore.com, alleging violations of state law by the company’s board of directors relating to the proposed acquisition by Walgreens.

The complaint alleged that Drugstore.com's board of directors breached their fiduciary duties by failing to maximize shareholder value, among other things.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark has named Helena Foulkes, who is widely regarded as one of the most visionary marketers in modern drug store retailing, to the newly created position of EVP and chief healthcare strategy and marketing officer.

WASHINGTON -- The nation’s court is set to hear arguments on Tuesday in a decade-old legal fight that could cost Wal-Mart Stores billions of dollars if the 500,000 women claiming sex bias are allowed to band together in a class action.

Wal-Mart is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to end the massive sex discrimination lawsuit in which the women are claiming that the retailer favors men over women in pay and promotions.

Washington, D.C. -- The nation’s court is set to hear arguments on Tuesday in a decade-old legal fight that could cost Wal-Mart Stores billions of dollars if the 500,000 women claiming sex bias are allowed to band together in a class action.

Wal-Mart is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to end the massive sex discrimination lawsuit in which the women are claiming that the retailer favors men over women in pay and promotions.
 

In a decision that is sending waves across the national retail industry, the California Supreme Court recently held that ZIP codes constitute “personal identification information” under the Song-Beverly Credit Card Act. The decision, Pineda v. Williams-Sonoma Stores Inc., generally will expose retailers who request such information from customers paying with a credit card to penalties of up to $1,000 per request.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Brown-Forman announced today the appointment of Lawson Whiting as managing director Western Europe, based in London, effective May 1.