Labor & Employment

Chelmsford, Mass. -- Kronos on Monday announced the release of its Retail Labor Index, which showed a February increase to 4.2% from 3.85% in January. (This metric is defined as the percentage of job applications that result in a hiring, normalized within a scale of 0 to 100. A level of 3.0% means that for every 100 applications received, three hirings occurred.)

February’s metric is the highest the Index has been since August 2008 when it reached 4.45%, according to Kronos.

Friday was to be something of a special occasion in Northwest Arkansas, until extreme winter weather forced a change of plans. Word arrived yesterday that Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner would not be visiting the area as originally planned, but the visit was postponed rather than cancelled, and he would be rescheduling the visit. Originally, he was scheduled to meet with regional business leaders to discuss how government and the private sector can work together to out-innovate the competition and grow the economy, according to a Treasury press release.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets on Thursday reported an 8.7% increase in its fiscal-year 2010 net income to $68.3 million for the 52-week period ended Dec. 25, and said its earnings per share for the year increased 21 cents to $2.54 per share, compared with the same period a year ago.

The central Pennsylvania grocer reported a sales increase of 4.1% for the year to $2.6 billion. Comparable-store sales were up 1%.

WASHINGTON -- The National Retail Federation announced that it has promoted Carleen Kohut, who has served as NRF SVP and CFO for the past ten years, to COO, as part of board-approved restructuring plan. Additionally, Susan Newman, VP conferences, has been promoted to SVP conferences and Mike Gatti, formerly SVP communications, has been named SVP member relations.

Los Angeles -- Ralphs Grocery Co. has pleaded no contest to overcharging customers for prepackaged and weighed products at stores in Los Angeles, according to a Thursday report by the Associated Press.

The grocery chain entered pleas before the case was scheduled to go to trial. The no contest plea was entered for 62 misdemeanor charges, including false advertising, mislabeling and selling items that weigh less than they should.

A sentencing date will be set Thursday.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark announced on Thursday an increase in fourth-quarter same-store sales and a boost in retail pharmacy revenues as pharmacy comparable-store sales benefited from the Maintenance Choice program.

"I'm pleased with our earnings this quarter, which were in line with our expectations. Our retail business continued to produce industry-leading same-store sales and achieved an all-time record operating margin," stated Larry Merlo, who currently serves as president and COO and will be taking the reins as CEO in March.

Slowly but surely the headwinds Walmart has faced for years in its domestic expansion efforts have begun to diminish to the point where major victories are now being scored. Two examples stood out this week on opposite sides of the country. The highest profile of these is the situation in New York where it may not seem like Walmart won a victory this week, but it did. Walmart’s entry into the city has been the subject of considerable and heated debate for at least five years, but the situation has come to head in recent months.

New York City -- Walmart has reached a deal in principle with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York, Crain’s New York Business reported. The agreement guarantees union workers will construct or renovate any stores that the chain opens in the city during the next five years, Crain’s New York reported.

The agreement is a win for Walmart, which has faced tough opposition from unions in New York City.