Trading Partners

Photo: Arthur Valdez

Macy's has added an expert in real estate investments its board as the department store retailer remains under pressure from an activist investor to spin off some of its real estate into a real estate investment trust.

The CEOs of Staples and Office Depot penned a letter to customers which reveals the extent of their deteriorated relations with the Federal Trade Commission ahead of a hearing that begins March 21 that will determine whether the retailers are allowed to merge.

In the letter, Staples chairman and CEO Ron Sargent and Office Depot chairman and CEO Roland Smith stop short of actually calling the FTC stupid, but that is the inference from more diplomatically worded prose.

Meeting Walmart’s product information requirements is not always easy for its suppliers, but the retailer is providing a new option that may make things a little simpler.

Walmart is integrating with product content technology provider Shotfarm. Walmart suppliers can now use the Shotfarm Switch Marketplace platform to directly connect with the retailer. This means suppliers can work with requirement such as the Walmart Spec program, which details the required, recommended, and optional data attributes suppliers must provide for their products.

Target announced Wednesday its board of directors elected Monica Lozano as a new director, effective immediately. Lozano is the former CEO of ImpreMedia, one of the largest media companies serving Hispanic communities in the U.S.

Citing union sources, The Bellingham Herald on Tuesday reported that Albertsons is prepared to acquire the remaining core stores of Haggen with the blessing of the Federal Trade Commission. "It appears that other bidders are not going to raise their bids or otherwise make them qualified bids, so the scheduled auction is cancelled and the sale to Albertsons will be put before the court for approval in the next week," representatives of Haggen union workers released in a statement.

Costco Wholesale Corp. is raising entry-level wages for its hourly workers for the first time since 2007.

The move comes as other major retailers have been upping the minimum wages for their entry-level workers amid a tightening job market.

Starting this month, Costco will pay workers $1.50 more per hour in the U.S. and Canada. Workers will now earn at least $13 or $13.50 per hour, up from a minimum of $11.50 or $12 per hour.

Delhaize America is joining other retailers in announcing it will work with suppliers to reach a 100% cage-free shell egg assortment by 2025.