Corporate Responsibility

Target is looking to get ahead of the curve in major media markets by placing communications executives in such places as Dallas, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto in addition to those at the Minneapolis home office, Ad Age reported on Monday.

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market announced that two regional presidents, David Lannon and Ken Meyer, have been promoted to executive VPs of operations, joining the executive leadership team. The company's 12 regional presidents will report to them.

Retail aficionados will recognize the headline above as the long-running tagline for Syms, the recently liquidated off-price apparel retailer. While things didn’t work out as founder Sy Syms or his CEO daughter Marcy had planned, Walmart is looking to apply similar logic about educated consumers to the area of nutrition, healthy eating and smart shopping.

AUSTIN, Texas — Michael Besancon, senior global VP purchasing, distribution and communications for Whole Foods Market, will retire from the company after more than 17 years of service.

Walmart’s goal of making food healthier and healthier food more affordable is a noble undertaking that has favorably affected the company’s reputation and put it in good stead with the Obama administration. The question that remains, as the company begins affixing to products and packaging its new “Great For You” food label unveiled this week in Washington D.C., is whether shoppers will behave in a manner consistent with their stated intentions.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — As the Greenpeace's most sustainable U.S. grocer for seafood, Safeway already has a sterling reputation for providing its customers with a wide variety of responsibly-sourced fish. Now, the company is taking that even further by announcing that its Safeway brand skipjack (chunk-light) canned tuna will be responsibly caught using free-school purse-seine methods. The company will transition to the purse-seine method by the end of the year.

New York City -- CVS/pharmacy announced on Thursday that it is providing several free services, educational information and special product offers during February's American Heart Month.

East Palo Alto, Calif. -- Ikea said Thursday it has plugged in four Blink Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations at its East Palo Alto, Calif., store. The initiative is in partnership with ECOtality and represents the eighth EV project for IKEA in the United States.

To charge an EV at Ikea East Palo Alto, drivers pull into a designated parking spot, swipe their Blink InCard (RFID card), and plug the charger into the EV to charge the vehicle.