Trading Partners

The two biggest specialty pet retailers in the U.S. may merge. According to Reuters, Petco Holdings Inc. is considering a possible acquisition from chief rival PetSmart Inc.

The CEO of one of America’s most prominent discount retail chains has joined the board of directors of quick service restaurant operator Yum Brands. Target CEO Brian J. Cornell, 56, is now a member of the Yum Brands board.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is questioning whether to use a broader definition of the term “joint employer,” a move that could bring sweeping changes to the restaurant and retail/wholesale franchisor model. Whether a large fast-food company exhibited more control than it should have over its franchisees was the most recent catalyst for the proposed change, but several earlier cases have challenged the more than 30-year-old standard for determining joint employment.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association introduced its second Retail Energy Management Report, a resource for companies to compare energy management programs across the industry and identify opportunities for progress.

The report was released prior to the opening of RILA’s 2015 Retail Sustainability Conference, now in its eighth year.

The Container Store is teaming up with the Rhode Island School of Design on a creative contest that invites design students to re-think the organized home.

The goal is to give design students a platform to present their product ideas to The Container Store and the chance to see their ideas produced. The product submissions need to appeal to The Container Store’s consumer.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association introduced its second Retail Energy Management Report, a resource for companies to compare energy management programs across the industry and identify opportunities for progress.

The report was released prior to the opening of RILA’s 2015 Retail Sustainability Conference, now in its eighth year.

Nothing will have a greater impact on the value of your shopping center than how you approach an anchor tenant lease expiration.

A red-hot real estate market and sky-high property values have some retailers, including Macy’s and more recently, McDonalds, feeling the pressure to cash in on the value of their real estate assets. How? By spinning off store properties and/or land assets into a REIT and entering into a lease-back deal.

Washington, D.C. - The National Retail Federation (NRF) is not backing down from its opposition to an expanded definition of “joint employer.”

The NRF is publicly asking Congress to pass legislation introduced this week that would reverse a recent National Labor Relations Board ruling that significantly broadens the definition of a joint employer.

According to the NRF, the move would unfairly make companies that work with franchise locations or subcontractors responsible for actions they do not control.

New York -- As Target Corp. continues its transformation under CEO Brian Cornell, news came out that the retailer is not renewing its contract with licensed apparel company Cherokee.

Dependent on Target for 43% of its revenue, Cherokee Global Brand saw its market value obliterated after it disclosed Target would not renew the decades-old relationship.