Consumer Affairs & Relations

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar said Thursday it has opened its 7,000th store -- on South Highland St. in Memphis, Ten.

The newest store, which opened on Wednesday, features a new design with green elements and easy-to-navigate layout.

WASHINGTON — Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have announced a $3 million initiative designed to help D.C. residents get the skills and training they need to gain employment. The program will offer literacy, customer service and retail training to 2,000 District residents.

The retirement of veteran merchant John Westling was announced internally at Walmart last Friday, and in typical fashion his departure has created new opportunities for other executives as responsibilities are reallocated.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Parents will spend more on apparel for this school year versus last year, a new survey from Sears and BlogHer, a network of women social media leaders, revealed. 

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl's announced that its board of directors has elected John Schlifske as a new board member, effective immediately. He has been elected to a term expiring at Kohl's 2012 annual shareholders meeting and will be eligible for re-election by Kohl's shareholders at that time. He will initially serve on the board of directors' governance and nominating committee.

The outlet mall industry has undergone a major transition during the past decade and has never been better positioned for future success. This is a significant change from 10 years ago when a stale product mix targeted to a transient shopper base had raised serious questions about the viability of the outlet mall.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Children will be returning to school in a matter of weeks, and many of them will be joining or returning to some sort of sporting activity. Enter Sports Authority, which is answering the need for sporting goods by opening six news stores on Aug. 13. The six new stores will open in five states nationwide, in the major markets of Miami, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Chicago and Milwaukee, the company reported.

The store locations will be as follows:

• Miami Beach, Fla. at 3401 N. Miami Ave.

Chicago -- A Tuesday report by NPD Group said that U.S. restaurant unit counts declined by 2%, which translates to a loss of 9,450 restaurants since last year.

According to the report, most of the total unit declines were independent restaurants. Chain restaurant unit counts remained relatively stable, according to NPD research.