Consumer Affairs & Relations

FAIRFIELD, N.J. — Consumers trust retailers will provide them with safe, effective products — no easy task when one considers the numerous items any given company can sell. This is especially true for such retailers as Wal-Mart Stores, which has approved a partnership with SGS for safety and compliance testing for all wireless and automotive products sold through Walmart and Sam's Club, both in store and online, for the U.S. market.

New York City -- The U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, N.Y., approved the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co.’s plan to exit bankruptcy plan. The supermarket company filed Chapter 11 in December 2010.

The reorganization plan includes $490 million in debt and equity financing from Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Cos.

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Callaway Golf Company has appointed Chip Brewer as president and CEO, effective March 5. Tony Thornley, who has served as interim president and CEO since June 2011, will resign from his interim positions on March 5, but will continue to serve on the Board of Directors. It is expected that Brewer will be appointed to the board of directors once he officially joins the company.    

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Two months after Sears Holdings Corp. received a $150 million Illinois tax credit for cementing its plans to keep its home base in the state, it announced Monday that it would close six stores in Illinois.

The retailer had already announced in December – two weeks after the tax credit – that it would close 100 to 120 stores, but no Illinois stores were on the initial list.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Express has appointed Michael Keane to the position of EVP human resources.

Keane's extensive experience includes more than twenty years in a series of human resource leadership positions with Tween Brands, Limited Brands, Borden Foods and Whirlpool Corporation.  He most recently served as EVP human resources and stores for Tween Brands, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ascena Retail Group Inc.

Cambridge, Mass. -- For the second consecutive time, Walmart’s overall branded basket registered as less expensive than Target’s, according to Kantar Retail’s semi-annual pricing study.

Mooresville, N.C. -- Lowe’s Cos. reported Monday that profit for the quarter ended Feb. 3 rose 13% to $322 million, compared with $285 million a year earlier. Results topped Wall Street expectations and demonstrated an upward consumer swing in home-improvement projects.

Quarterly sales increased 11% to $11.6 billion from $10.5 billion, beating analysts’ expectations of $11.35 billion in revenue. Same-store sales rose 3.4%.

Costa Mesa, Calif. -- Transwestern announced the renewal of a multi-year, $4.69 million lease of a 53,164-sq.-ft. office space for Anna’s Linens in Costa Mesa’s Harbor Gateway Business Park.
 
The office will continue to be used by Anna’s Linens as its corporate headquarters.

“We are very pleased to maintain our headquarters here in Orange County, where the company was born,” said Alan Gladstone, chairman and CEO of Anna’s Linens.