Corporate Governance

Meijer is on the move again.   The company on Tuesday opened a 192,000-sq-.ft. supercenters in Flossmoor and Round Lake Beach, Illinois.      The two new stores are part of an investment of more than $400 million in new and remodeled stores that Meijer is making this year, which is creating 3,000 new jobs across the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer's six-state foot print.    

Circuit City is reportedly getting closer to a relaunch.   The new owner of the defunct consumer electronics chain is currently working with brokers from CBRE to open a 6,000-sq.-ft. to 9,000-sq.-ft. prototype store in Dallas, reported consumer electronics industry publication Twice.     The relaunched business will also include a dedicated e-commerce site, as well as a presence on digital marketplaces such as Amazon.    

Despite their reputation as a generation dedicated to the greater good, millennial consumers are in some ways more narrowly focused than their Gen X elders.   According to a new study of more than 7,000 global consumers conducted online in April age 18-55 conducted by sales and marketing firm Daymon Worldwide, 35% of both millennial and Gen X consumers prefer buying sustainable products.  

Nordstrom Inc. has re-evaluated its near-term needs for e-commerce infrastructure.   The luxury retailer has decided to postpone the planned opening of a West Coast fulfillment center dedicated to fulfilling digital orders until 2020 or later.  

The Kroger Co. is installing cutting-edge exit signs as part of a $4 billion store- investment program.   The chain is deploying photoluminescent exit signs developed by Cincinnati start-up MN8 at all new and renovated stores nationwide. The LumAware signs differ from standard glow-in-the-dark products in that they also emanate light. The signs, which consumer no energy, eliminate the need for batteries, light bulbs, electricity or maintenance.  

In a big step to grow its business in China, Walmart has entered into an agreement to acquire a 5% stake in JD.com, China’s second largest e-commerce company. 

The American Express card is now history at Costco Wholesale Club.    As of June 20, Costco is accepting only Visa-branded credit cards chain wide.   The retailer made headlines last year when it announced that, after 16 years, it was dropping American Express as its exclusive credit card provider and switching to Visa.