Finance & Capital Management

With the breathtaking Twin Peaks of the Colorado Rockies as backdrop, a new project underway in Longmont, Colo., is leveraging both the views and community demand to create a “top drawer outdoor village experience,” said Allen Ginsborg, managing director and principal of NewMark Merrill Mountain States, based in Fort Collins, Colo.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens reported April 2013 sales of $5.98 billion, up almost 4% from $5.76 billion in the same month a year earlier.
   
Despite declines in front-end sales, comparable front-end sales and customer traffic, slightly larger basket sizes and an almost 10% increase in comparable prescription fills helped boost overall sales.

Same-store sales increased 1.2% from April 2012.

Pittsburgh -- Dick’s Sporting Goods has named Andre J. Hawaux as executive VP of finance and administration and CFO. He will oversee finance, legal, strategic planning and risk and compliance.

Hawaux has more than 30 years of experience as a retail/CPG executive, most recently as president of consumer foods at ConAgra Foods. He has also served in different executive roles in several divisions of PepsiCo.

Washington, D.C. -- The retail industry, the nation’s largest private sector employer, added 29,000 jobs in April, indicating that retailers are seeing signs of an improving economy, and as a result, added to their payrolls heading into the summer, according to the National Retail Federation.

Still, the NRF sounded a cautious note.

Washington, D.C. -- U.S. consumer spending averaged $86 a day in April 2013, according to new figures from Gallup. This number is essentially flat compared to $89 in March and $83 in February.
    
According to Gallup analysis, the lack of change in consumer spending in recent months may reflect the recent increase in payroll tax, as well as the early Easter holiday. Consumer spending remains well above levels recorded during the economic recession of 2008-2011.

New York -- Employees show increased levels of anxiety about their income, benefits and security, according to a new poll from Harris Interactive. Aggregated concern about these three issues rose from 56% in March to 57% in April.

New York -- The world’s largest retailers have been scaling back their global expansion activities, particularly in Asia, and turning their attention inward by integrating operations and strengthening their store, Internet and mobile sales channels, according to a new report by Accenture.
    

CARY, N.C. — The Pantry, a leading independently operated convenience store chain in the southeastern U.S., has appointed former Dollar General executive Kathleen Guion to its board of directors.

DALLAS — Kimberly-Clark will award college scholarships totaling $1.26 million to 63 children of K-C employees across 17 states and Canada as part of its Bright Futures program.

Bright Futures scholarship grants are worth up to $20,000, or $5,000 per school year, for full-time students attending accredited colleges and universities. Since its inception, the program has awarded more than $35 million in scholarships to more than 1,800 students.