Corporate Governance

Retailers have had a tough year when it comes to advertising prices. In January, a California court issued a multimillion dollar penalty against Overstock.com, after determining that the company advertised discounts in a misleading manner. Since then, retailers across a range of industries have been dragged into costly lawsuits and regulatory investigations involving similar issues. If you’re wondering how something as mundane as advertising the price of an item could lead to so much trouble it’s because the issue is more complicated than most people think.

Toronto -- Slate Retail REIT announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to purchase two grocery-anchored shopping centers.

Oakland Commons, a 73,705-sq.-ft. property in Bloomington, Illinois, will be acquired for $8.2 million ($111 per square foot). The 100% occupied property is anchored by Jewel-Osco, a subsidiary of Albertsons LLC.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. announced that its chairman and CEO, Glen Murphy, will step down, effective February 1, 2015. He will be succeeded by Art Peck, the president of the company’s growth, innovation and digital division.

Murphy and Peck have worked side-by-side for the better part of a decade as Gap dramatically improved its financial performance while expanding globally, the company said.

iWallet Corporation, a secure luxury “techcessories” company, has appointed three new members to its board of directors including Carl Rosen, former COO of Bulova, then international consumer luxury goods company; Charles Ng, VP of sales at NEXT Biometrics and the former North American director of sales for Fingerprint Cards and sales director for Authentec, a biometric fingerprint technology; and Anthony Durkacz, EVP of the investment firm First Republic Capital Corporation.

Atlantic Natural Foods has acquired the Loma Linda brand of canned shelf stable alternative meat analog products. ANF will also license the Worthington Foods brand and will transition these products to the Loma Linda brand in the near future. Both brands were previously marketed solely by Kellogg Company.

Atlantic Natural Foods has been the sole producer of these products since 2008. In addition, ANF also purchased Kellogg Company’s Kaffree Roma alternative coffee beverage unit.

Dublin, California -- Ross Dress for Less will open a new store in the Ridgewood Court Shopping Center, in the capital city of Jackson, Mississippi, on Oct. 11. It is the retailer’s second location in the greater Jackson area.

This new opening is part of the retailer’s 2014 expansion program, totaling approximately 75 new locations during the year.  

Together, Ross Dress for Less and dd’s Discounts currently operate over 1,300 off-price apparel and home fashion stores in 33 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.

Bon-Ton plans to close its Bon-Ton store in the Clearview Mall in Butler, Pennsylvania, and its Elder-Beerman store in the Raleigh Mall in Beckley, West Virginia. The company will not renew these leases, which terminate Jan. 31, 2015.

The closings will affect approximately 38 and 39 store employees at the Clearview Mall and Raleigh Mall locations, respectively.

Atlanta - Havertys sales for the third quarter of fiscal 2014 increased 3% to $198.5 million, compared with $192.7 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2013. Same-store sales increased 3.5%.

Havertys plans to open four new stores by the end of the year. Clarence H. Smith, chairman, president and CEO of Havertys, said sales for the quarter did not meet expectations.