Corporate Governance

New York -- Whole Foods Market has signed a lease for a 29,000-sq-ft. store in Newark, N.J., according to the Newark Star-Ledger.

The store is expected to be an anchor tenant in a 112-year-old landmark building that was once occupied by the Hahne & Co. department store. The building is being converted into a multi-use space that will feature apartments, retail and office space.
The project is a joint partnership between the Newark-based Hanini Group and L&M Development Partners of New York.

New York -- Retailers reported somewhat disappointing same-store sales for September.  While only a handful of chains still report their monthly revenues, the tepid results of those that do raised concerns about the upcoming holiday season.
    
Gap Inc. reported that its same-store sales in September 2013 net sales were down 3% versus a 6% increase for September 2012. Net sales were flat compared with last year, totaling $1.46 billion compared with net sales of $1.45 billion for the year-ago period.

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar hit a major milestone in its history on Thursday as the company opened its 8,000th store, in Lancaster, S.C.  

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples announced a new price match policy that the company said ensures customers pay the lowest price – both in stores and online. Staples said it will price match items sold and shipped by Amazon.com or any retailer who sells products in both retail stores and online under the same brand.

Los Angeles -- Rite Aid Corp. has been ordered to pay more than $12 million to settle a civil environmental protection lawsuit filed in California claiming about 600 of its stores illegally dumped pesticides, bleach and other toxics, the Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit was filed last month by the district attorneys of Los Angeles, San Joaquin and Riverside counties, with a total of 52 California district attorneys joining the civil action.

Roswell, Ga. – PGA Tour Superstores plans to improve operational efficiency and prepare for future growth using the SAP HANA business intelligence platform and the new SAP Customer Activity Repository application.

In an Oct. 8 session at the SAP Retail Forum 2013 in Dallas, Stephen McDonnold, CIO of PGA Tour Superstore, explained how his company and Cognizant Technology Solutions are working with SAP to create an IT environment supporting maximum operational efficiency.

Dallas – SAP previewed a mobile app called Snap at its SAP Retail Forum held in Dallas Oct. 7-9. Designed for both tablets and smartphones, Snap is aimed at consumers who purchase items that require DIY assembly.

New York - The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index moved down again in September, showing the second month of small declines. The Index tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation told a congressional committee holding an Oct. 9 hearing on the terrorist attack at a Kenyan shopping mall that the safety of employees and customers is retailers’ top concern.

Atlanta - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized The Home Depot with a 2013 WaterSense Retail Partner of the Year award. The Home Depot was honored during the WaterSmart Innovations Conference for its commitment to water efficiency and outstanding efforts to support the WaterSense program during 2012.