Finance & Capital Management

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation said the retail industry added 37,000 jobs in the month of July, with increases in general merchandise, food and beverage and building and garden supply stores.

Left-leaning individuals in large urban areas find lots of reasons to dislike Walmart, so it is noteworthy when someone in a liberal stronghold forcefully sides with Walmart and personal freedom.
 
That was the case in Boston this week when the Boston Globe ran an article by Shirley Leung with the headline, “It’s time to say yes to Walmart.”

She acknowledged the familiar narrative put forth by those who seek to block Walmart’s expansion.

ST. LOUIS — Cereal maker Post Holdings has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Premier Nutrition, makers of the Joint Juice brand.

PNC is a rapidly growing marketer and distributor of premium protein beverages and foods under its Premier Protein brand and nutritional supplements under its Joint Juice brand.

Woonsocket, RI – CVS Caremark Corporation has reached an agreement in principle to pay a fine of USD $20 million to resolve an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) into certain public disclosures, securities transactions and aspects of the purchase accounting adjustment related to the October 2008 Longs Drug Stores acquisition the company made during the third and fourth quarters of 2009.

Surging home prices and 401K balances have millions of Americans feeling better about their personal balance sheets and the state of the economy, but Walmart’s core shoppers remain under duress and that could spell trouble for second quarter sales.
 

Staying on top of emerging supply chain trends is critical in today’s global marketplace. Understanding current trends enables us to stay relevant, remain competitive and manage our businesses proactively, rather than reactively.

MARYSVILLE, Ohio — The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a leading global marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products, has appointed Lieutenant General (retired) John Randolph Vines to its board of directors.

"We are pleased to have John as an addition to our board," said Jim Hagedorn, chairman and CEO. "His wide-ranging leadership, strategy and team-building experience will be an exceptional benefit to us."

New Delhi, India – The Indian government has eased its notoriously difficult restrictions on how foreign retailers must invest and source when doing business in the country. As reported by Reuters, foreign retailers will still have to source 30% of the products they sell locally, but now have five years to initially reach that goal and then have to meet it annually.