Corporate Responsibility

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has appointed Sue Pifer as VP of compliance and Tiffin Shewmake as the director of the Center for Retail Compliance (CRC).

“The experience and skills that Sue and Tiffin possess make them uniquely suited for delivering exceptional value to our member companies on a broad range of compliance issues. We are excited to have them join the RILA team,” said RILA president Sandy Kennedy.

The WhiteWave Foods Company, a leading consumer packaged food and beverage company in North America and Europe, has agreed to acquire So Delicious Dairy Free from its existing shareholders, led by Wasserstein & Co., for approximately $195 million in cash.

Firearm safety is taken seriously at outdoor retailer Gander Mountain where the company is giving away 50,000 trigger locks in a unique promotion.

The trigger lock giveaway is a significant commitment, considering the devices retail for $9.99, but the cost of goods could be more than offset by an increase in traffic ahead of the fall hunting season. The trigger lock giveaway begins this Friday September 17 and runs for three days to coincide with what the company is calling its biggest hunting sale of the year.

Washington, D.C. -- Site and market challenges, underwriting challenges, and operational challenges are the key factors that hamper retail development in some lower-income communities, according to a report from the Urban Land Institute.

The report, Retail in Underserved Communities, defines underserved communities as those that fall into one or more of four categories: urban locations lacking businesses, underserviced markets, locations without cultural offerings, and isolated rural or small towns.

West Sacramento, Calif. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill Partnership announced that Raley’s Family of Fine Stores received a GreenChill 2013 Achievement Award for extraordinary leadership and initiative in achieving the Partnership’s mission to better protect the Earth’s ozone layer and reduce the impact on climate change through innovative refrigeration systems.

Emeryville, Calif. -- Extreme-value grocer Grocery Outlet announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by affiliates of Hellman & Friedman LLC along with Grocery Outlet’s senior management team from its principal owner, Berkshire Partners LLC. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

New York -- ICA Sweden has signed a licensing agreement with Starbucks Coffee Company to open Starbucks retail stores in the grocery store channel in Sweden. The cafés will be operated by ICA according to the Starbucks licensing concept and under the Starbucks brand.

Initially, the plan is to open three Starbucks retail stores during 2015. These will then be evaluated before a decision is made on the possible establishment of more cafés.

Goya Foods plans to open a state-of-the-art distribution center in Georgia to aid with the expansion of their business in the southeast region.

Located at 4005 Haworth Pkwy., in McDonough, the facility will be officially inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 17, between 10:30 a.m. and 2p.m. McDonough’s Mayor Billy Copeland will be present for the ceremony.