Corporate Governance

Move over millennials, there are two demographics ready to shake up the consumer landscape and impact retail sales.

The emphasis is on fresh foods and convenience at bfresh, a new, urban-scale supermarket concept from Ahold’s Fresh Formats division.

Designed by Scandinavian design agency Blink, bfresh is part neighborhood grocery store, part food hall and part restaurant. The stores, which average about 9,000 sq. ft., have a modern look and a streamlined, simple layout. Digital price tags enhance the contemporary feel.

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation is out with its annual Giving Report which puts a monetary value on all the ways the retailer and its charitable arm sought to make a difference during the 2015 fiscal year.

From a big picture standpoint, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation donated more than $1.4 billion in cash and in kind donations, primarily food, and Walmart’s 2.2 million employees also contributed more than 1.5 million hours of their time outside of work to volunteer causes.

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) in partnership with the producers of the film Point Break have devised a novel approach to thanking those protecting American freedom.

When it comes to retail diversity, Manhattan is about as inclusive as it gets.

A first-of-its-kind survey of 906 existing retailers in three of Manhattan’s leading shopping districts (SoHo, Fifth Avenue, and Madison Avenue) found a virtual “United Nations” of merchants originating from 26 countries. The Cushman & Wakefield study found that nearly four out of 10 retailers – 39% -- originate from outside the United States.

Return fraud during the holidays is a growing problem for retailers—and also an extremely expensive one.

Dollar Shave Club has been a thorn in Gillette’s side since launching its disruptive subscription business model.

Return fraud during the holidays is a growing problem for retailers—and also an extremely expensive one.

Rapidly growing extreme value retailer Five Below could see its share price improve in the coming months as it is added to an important market index.

Five Below will join the S&P SmallCap 600 index effective after the close of trading on Friday, Dec. 18. The change is noteworthy for Five Below because such moves offer trigger increased buying of the company’s shares by funds that track the performance of the index which the company is joining. Five Below replaces UIL Holdings which merged with Iberdrola USA.