Corporate Responsibility

Rhonda Mauldin was selected from more than 1,100 Food Lion store managers for the retailer’s highest honor.

Mauldin, who is the store manager of the Food Lion located at 1004 W. Georgia Road in Simpsonville, S.C., is Food Lion’s 2014 Store Manager of the Year.

New York -- Whole Foods Market has set itself an ambitious agenda for 2015 with 38 to 42 new store openings, including relocations, for annual square footage growth of 9% to 10%. The company, which currently has 408 stores, remains committed to tripling its U.S. store count to 1,200 locations over the long term.

Charlotte, N.C. -- Crescent Communities has unveiled plans for a mixed-use, transit-oriented development that will bring Uptown Charlotte its first Whole Foods Market. The company’s plans for the 5.4-acre site at the Lynx Light Rail’s Stonewall Station, in Charlotte, North Carolina, define a new model of urban living for the area and complement its Tryon Place mixed-use development to redefine the city’s Stonewall corridor.

Minneapolis – Target Corp. has agreed to pay almost $4 million in fines for overcharging customers at stores in Contra Costa, Sonoma, Marin, Santa Cruz and Fresno counties in California. The payment will settle a complaint filed by the San Diego City Attorney’s Office in conjunction with the district attorneys of the affected counties.

The complaint said that Target charged consumers more money at the cash register than was advertised on price tags in aisles, and also misrepresented the weight of packaged food.

Mahwah, N.J. -- Ascena Retail Group has appointed Robb Giammatteo to serve as CFO. He joined Ascena in 2013, as senior VP of financial planning and analysis and investor relations.

Washington, D.C. – President Obama is not pleased with how Staples and other large U.S. companies are handling employee health benefits. In an interview with BuzzFeed, Obama said that Staples and other corporations should not use the Affordable Care Act as an excuse to reduce employee hours or wages.

Sam’s Club is taking a different approach to Valentine’s Day promotions by offering customers the gift of good health.

According to a national survey, Americans plan to spend around $142 on Valentine’s Day this year for jewelry, candy and a special night out. What if, in addition to these, people could also give the gift of health to their loved ones this year without breaking the bank even more? Sam’s Club is making it possible this Valentine’s Day by offering free heart health screenings.

Pittsburgh -- In a first for Dick’s Sporting Goods, the retailer said it will serve as the official sporting goods retail sponsor to the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and Team USA., as it prepares for the 2016 Summer Games, which will be held in Brazil.

Dick’s will focus on supporting U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls with jobs and equipment.

Woonsocket, R.I. – CVS Health Corp. showed vitality with its financial performance in the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014. Net income for the fourth quarter grew 5% to $1.32 billion from $1.26 billion.

Free stuff and flexible employment opportunities for athletes are key elements of Dick’s Sporting Goods first ever partnership with the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The 2016 Summer Games will be held in Brazil in 2016 and to help athletes prepare Dick’s said it would offer jobs and equipment donations at U.S. Olympic training centers.