Consumer Affairs & Relations

Houston -- Francesca's Holdings Corp. fired its CFO Gene Morphis after an internal investigation found that he had “improperly” communicated company information through social media. The company said it began an investigation after discovering his activity on May 11.

MINNEAPOLIS — A new era is emerging at Best Buy as the company tries to come back from the fallout over disgraced former CEO Brian Dunn and re-establish itself is the dominant player in the CE space. To that end, the company's board of directors has elected Hatim Tyabji to succeed Richard Schulze as chairman of the company, effective at the conclusion of the annual meeting on June 21. Tyabji, currently chairman of the audit committee, has served as a director of Best Buy since 1998.

Goodlettsville,Tenn. — Dollar General has awarded grants to more than 593 nonprofit organizations, libraries and schools through the chain's literacy foundation.

Wal-Mart Stores fell to the number two spot on the Fortune 500 list after holding the number one spot for two years. It was ousted by Exxon Mobil, which benefitted from rising oil prices.To see the full list, click here.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Costco announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend on Costco common stock and approved an increase from 24 cents to 27.5 cents per share, or from 96 cents per share to $1.10 per share on an annualized basis.

The quarterly dividend is payable June 8 to shareholders of record at the close of business on May 25.

Costco plans to release its operating results for the third quarter, ended May 6, on May 24.
 

Minneapolis -- Best Buy Co. announced that founder Richard Schulze would step down as chairman after an independent board investigation found that he had failed to report allegations of personal misconduct by former CEO Brian Dunn to the board's audit committee.

Schulze will serve out the remainder of his term as director. Best Buy said its board has elected director Hatim Tyabji to succeed Schulze as chairman, effective at the conclusion of the annual meeting on June 21.

Minneapolis -- According to a Wednesday filing by Best Buy, former CEO Brian Dunn may receive either $3.1 million or zero in termination payments following his highly publicized resignation.

The payout is dependent on whether or not Dunn is determined to have left voluntarily on April 9.

In the filing, Best Buy said it is reviewing Dunn’s compensation pending its investigation into his personal conduct.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Stater Bros. reported its second-quarter results for the period ended March 25.

The retailer's consolidated sales for the quarter rose nearly 2.7% to $937.7 million, compared with the year-ago period, while same-store sales also rose nearly 2.7%. Second-quarter net income totaled $16.4 million, compared with $9.3 million for second quarter of the prior year.