Corporate Governance

A new retail brand called Main & Vine is entering Kroger’s extensive store portfolio soon and it could spell more trouble for Whole Foods and other competitors.

A Web site for the new concept is filled with beautiful photos of fresh products and bills the store as a place, “where eating is healthy, affordable and fun!” The site does not offer an indication of when the store will open other than soon.

Off-price retailer Burlington Stores named the former president and COO of Bright Horizons Family Solutions as the newest member of its nine-person board.

Mary Ann Tocio, former president and COO at Bright Horizons, joins the Burlington board following a 23 year career at the child care company. She retired in July 2015.

Photo: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa

Three City Sports stores are being given a new lease on life.

Modell’s Sporting Goods has acquired three prime Northeast locations from City Sports, which filed for bankruptcy protection in October 2015 and subsequently announced plans to close all its stores. Beginning in early 2016, the stores, which range from 7,500 sq. ft. - 9,000 sq. ft. and are located in Philadelphia, Boston and Washington, D.C., will start to transition to the Modell’s format.

Duluth Holdings built its brand online and now, fresh of its first quarter as a public company, the quirky apparel retailer thinks it could open as many as 100 stores.

The pursuit of sustainability goals at Home Depot has been such a boon to efficiency the company just set major new goals.

The retailer said by 2020 it plans to reduce total energy use by an additional 20% below 2010 consumption levels and procure 135 megawatts of electricity from a combination of onsite fuel cell and solar installs in addition to offsite solar and wind sources.

Batavia, Ill. -- Mid-America Real Estate Corp. announced its Investment sales team brokered the sale of The Shoppes at Windmill Place in Batavia, Illinois. Cincinnati-based Phillips Edison purchased the 122,176-sq. ft. grocery-anchored property.

The Shoppes at Windmill Place is anchored by Jewel Osco and features national retailers including Comcast, Dunkin’ Donuts, Mattress Firm, Subway and more.

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.