Strategy

Walmart’s opponents are a creative lot when it comes to thinking up new ways to vilify the company. The most recent example involves data collection and Walmart’s use of personal information which is designed to feed into the real and imagined concerns American’s have regarding the NSA’s spying on American citizens.

Woonsocket, R.I. - CVS Caremark has entered into an agreement to acquire Coram LLC, the specialty infusion services and enteral nutrition business unit of Apria Healthcare Group Inc. for approximately $2.1 billion. Coram provides infusion therapies and nutrition services to more than 20,000 patients each month, primarily through home infusion as well as a national network of more than 85 locations, including more than 65 ambulatory infusion suites.

Free food, double pay and generous merchandise discounts are available to the more than one million Walmart employees called upon to work Thanksgiving weekend.

Walmart on Wednesday highlighted some of the benefits workers at its store will receive this weekend, including a 25% discount off an entire purchase, a Thanksgiving meal throughout Black Friday shifts and double pay for employees willing to endure the madness of Black Friday events scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

Purchase, N.Y. -- MasterCard  and global online payment provider Ogone are partnering on the integration and deployment of MasterPass. This collaboration which covers Belgium, The Netherlands, France, United Kingdom, Germany and Spain in a first phase and the remaining countries Ogone operates in later on.

Simi Valley, Calif. — Milan Capital Management has acquired the Smart & Final Center in Simi Valley, Calif., for $16.9 million — $170 per square foot Marcus & Millichap Real Estate Investment Services represented Milan Capital and the seller, who had owned the property for 45 years.

LLamasoft, a leading global supply chain design software provider, has added Jeff Metersky to the company’s leadership team as VP of solutions strategy.

Metersky will have global responsibility for designing comprehensive supply chain design solutions made up of technology, services, support, education and training for future and existing LLamasoft customers. He will also help shape and guide LLamasoft product strategy.

New York – Tiffany reported a 50% increase in net income in its third quarter of fiscal 2013, increasing to $94.6 million from $63.2 million. Net sales were $911.5 million, up 7% from $852.7 million.

Net sales growth was strong worldwide but especially pronounced in the Asia-Pacific region, where net sales increased 27% compared to the same period in the prior year. Tiffany credited global net sales performance as driving its net income growth.

An increase in third-quarter net sales was not enough to bolster Chico’s FAS’s net income, which took a hit from its Boston Proper business.

The company reported net income of $35.8 million, down 15% from $42 million in the same period a year earlier.