Trading Partners

ConAgra has appointed Thomas “Tony” K. Brown to its board of directors, effective Oct. 15. With the addition of Brown, ConAgra’s board has increased to 12. 

By Jim Hogan, [email protected]

Deerfield, Ill. – Net earnings for Walgreen Co. soared in both the fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2013. Net earnings during the fourth quarter totaled $657 million, an 86.4% increase from $353 million in the same quarter a year ago, while net earnings for the full year rose 15.2% to $2.5 billion, from $2.1 billion.

The National Retail Federation has announced the development of a new chief marketing officer council to serve as an advertising and marketing voice for the retail industry. The organization’s Retail Advertising and Marketing Association will transition into the newly created council.

Lands' End has named Michele Donnan-Martin as the company’s EVP and chief merchandising design officer. Donnan-Martin will report directly to CEO and president Edgar Huber.

She will be charged with leading all aspects of merchandising and design to ensure alignment of product development, price point strategies and design aesthetic to embrace and further build upon the Lands' End's brand. 

Fast-growing flooring retailer Lumber Liquidators got an unpleasant surprise on Thursday when representatives from several federal agencies showed up at the company’s Toano, Va., headquarter with search warrants in hand.

Walmart was quick to sever ties with Paula Deen earlier this year, but the extent of the company’s outrage over her racist comments wasn’t sufficient to warrant immediately rooting the disgraced Food Network Star’s merchandise from its supply chain.

First it was sustainability, then came hunger and the affordability of quality food, women’s economic empowerment and now support of U.S. manufacturing. Walmart contends it has a responsibility to lead in these areas and others, but whether it is truly doing so is the subject of some debate.