Sustainability

Montreal - Dollarama Inc. has named Elisa D. Garcia, executive VP and chief legal officer of Office Depot Inc., as an independent director and member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Garcia’s appointment expands the corporation’s board of directors to 10 directors, seven of whom are independent.

Beachwood, Ohio -- DDR Corp announced that David J. Oakes has been named the company’s new CEO, effectively immediately. Oakes has been DDR’s president and CFO since January 2013, and was senior executive VP and CFO for the three years prior. He succeeds Daniel Hurwitz, who stepped down December 31 by mutual agreement.

"After a thorough and robust search process, the board is confident that David is the right person to lead DDR into the future," said chairman Terry Ahern.

Ikea is moving ahead with its strategy to expand its footprint in the Midwest by finalizing plans on a massive new distribution center in Illinois.

The retailer has submitted final plans to the City of Joliet, Ill., that would advance the development of its previously approved main Midwestern distribution center.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon talks about changes at Walmart.

Whole Foods is putting its motto -- whole foods, whole people, whole planet -- to the test with a new initiative to alleviate poverty through microcredit.

The retailer is partnering with its own Whole Planet Foundation on an effort to raise $5 million in 42 days to fund microlending programs worldwide.

Retailers who sell Nestle candy may soon be hearing a lot from their customers about changes in the taste or color of their favorite confections.

That’s because Nestlé has pledged to remove all artificial flavors and colors from its chocolate and sweets in the United States.

Rhonda Mauldin was selected from more than 1,100 Food Lion store managers for the retailer’s highest honor.

Mauldin, who is the store manager of the Food Lion located at 1004 W. Georgia Road in Simpsonville, S.C., is Food Lion’s 2014 Store Manager of the Year.

Charlotte, N.C. -- Crescent Communities has unveiled plans for a mixed-use, transit-oriented development that will bring Uptown Charlotte its first Whole Foods Market. The company’s plans for the 5.4-acre site at the Lynx Light Rail’s Stonewall Station, in Charlotte, North Carolina, define a new model of urban living for the area and complement its Tryon Place mixed-use development to redefine the city’s Stonewall corridor.

Austin, Texas -- Whole Foods Market's value message is resonating with shoppers as the chain delivered same store sales growth of 4.5% and record first quarter profits as net income increased to $167 million from $158 million.

The retailer said sales for its first quarter ended Jan. 18 increased 10% to $4.67 billion due to the addition of new selling space and the increased productivity of existing stores reflected in the 4.5% comp increase, which pushed sales per square foot to $990.

New York -- Starbucks Corp. founder and CEO — and currently Time Magazine cover boy — Howard Schultz has lots of opinions about politics and the national agenda, but he is not interested in running for president in 2016.

“I don’t think that’s a solution. I don’t think it ends well,” Schultz told Time in a wide-ranging interview its Feb. 16 edition.