Corporate Responsibility

Apparel, cosmetics and home furnishings retailer Dillard’s is offering a custom edition of the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook to benefit the Ronald McDonald House Charities. 

The exclusive, 288-page hardbound cookbook is filled with holiday recipes, color photos, menus, decorating tips and entertaining ideas and costs $10. It is available at all Dillard’s stores nationwide, as well as online. Proceeds from the sale of the cookbooks will benefit local Ronald McDonald Houses operated by RMHC Chapters in Dillard’s markets.

New York – At least four law firms have launched investigations of Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. following a raid by federal agencies on Lumber Liquidators’ Virginia offices in connection with the importation of certain wood-flooring products. The law firms of Pomerantz Grossman Hufford Dahlstrom & Gross LLP, Bronstein, Gewirtz & Grossman, LLC, The Shuman Law Firm, and Wohl & Fruchter LLP are all investigating whether Lumber Liquidators has committed federal securities violations.

ConAgra has appointed Thomas “Tony” K. Brown to its board of directors, effective Oct. 15. With the addition of Brown, ConAgra’s board has increased to 12. 

CHESTER, Pa. -- Fare & Square, the nation's first nonprofit grocery store of its kind, opened in Chester, Pa. It is the first full service grocery store to open in Chester, a “food desert” area, since 2001.

Fare & Square will sell a full array of food with a focus on fresh products in a 16,000 sq. ft. store with six departments including produce, deli, fresh meat, seafood, dairy, frozen and dry goods featuring brand name and private labels.   

Bentonville, Ark. -- Walmart announced that Kathleen McLaughlin, 48, has been named president of the Walmart Foundation, effective Oct. 15.

In addition to leading corporate giving, she will have responsibility for the company's global sustainability, women's economic empowerment initiatives and healthier food initiatives.

McLaughlin, previously a senior partner at global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, is a dual American-Canadian citizen and was based in Toronto.

By Chase Cornett, [email protected]

The holiday shopping season is just around the corner and soon consumers will be bombarded with buying guides, floods of emails, deep discounts and, of course, that Black Friday competitive spirit. With all the chaos brought on by the holidays, retailers are finding it harder and harder to stand out. The result — strategies that focus on discounts, deliver low profit margins and drive transactions instead of engaged brand experiences.

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- Home furnishings retailer West Elm today announced its 2013 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action with a purchasing plan of $35 million in handcrafted products through 2015, a 40% increase in spend during the next two years. West Elm, a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands, also pledged to make and source these products from businesses adhering to high social responsibility, health and safety standards, meeting local laws, best industry practices and the brand’s vendor code of conduct.

Leading outdoor brand Patagonia named former Nike, Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson marketing executive Joy Howard as its new VP of marketing.

Howard joined Patagonia’s marketing team effective September 23 and will lead the development and execution of global marketing across all sales channels and communication platforms for Patagonia, as well as for the wider portfolio of Patagonia initiatives in food and media, and new brand extensions.

Steve McKinney was named president of Kroger’s Fry’s Food Stores division in Arizona to succeed Jon Flora who passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago.

McKinney, 57, had previously served as vp of operations at Kroger’s Ralph’s division in California since 2007. The Fry’s division operates 119 stores in Arizona.

The Walmart Foundation has appointed Kathleen McLaughlin as its president, effective Oct. 15. In addition to leading corporate giving, she will have responsibility for the company's global sustainability, women's economic empowerment initiatives and healthier food initiatives. 

McLaughlin, previously a senior partner at global consulting firm McKinsey & Company, is a dual American-Canadian citizen and was based in Toronto.