Corporate Governance

Pleasanton, Calif. - Safeway has released its sixth annual sustainability report, informed by the Global Reporting Initiative G3 Guidelines. The online report, titled "Heart of Safeway," includes 2013 performance highlights such as hiring 1,833 military veterans and scoring 100% in the Human Rights Campaign Buyer's Guide and Corporate Equality Index

Other highlights include:

Dallas - 7-Eleven is celebrating its 87th birthday with eight days of free offers, beginning July 11. To receive each day's free offer, a customer must first download and register on the 7-Eleven app.

A customer opens the 7-Eleven app at the store and shows the member barcode to the sales associate at checkout. The barcode appears below the coupons. Once the associate scans the barcode at the register, the customer will receive the item as they check out.

ECRM compared retail circular advertising in June 2013 versus June 2014 and noted trends occurring across top retail chains. Both Walmart and Toys “R” Us experienced some extreme shifts versus last year. Toys “R” Us did not run any circulars during the month of June, down from two last year. Instead, it ran only web and email promotions. The inverse occurred in January, when it ran no print ads in 2013 and only a single short circular in 2014.

New York -- Uncertainty at the West Coast ports has caused a rush of activity, according to a monthly tracking service.

Import volume at major U.S. container ports is expected to total 1.5 million containers this month, says the Global Port Tracker from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. That’s the highest monthly volume in at least five years and follows a trend of unusually high import levels that began this spring as labor strife pushed retailers to import merchandise ahead of any potential problems.

Trevose, Pa. - Rita's Italian Ice, has appointed Eric Taylor, a 15-plus-year franchise industry veteran, as senior VP and chief development officer to lead the company’s franchise development and growth. Taylor joined Rita’s in April, and is responsible for the expansion of the Rita's global footprint.

Coppel, Texas -- The Container Store on Tuesday posted a 0.8% decline in same-store sales in the first quarter, its first decline in the metric in 16 quarters.

“We thought our sluggish sales were all because of weather and calendar shifts that began last November and continued into the spring, but now we’ve come to realize it’s more than weather and calendar. Consistent with so many of our fellow retailers, we are experiencing a retail ‘funk,’” said Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO.

New York -- The American Apparel saga continues, with the beleaguered chain receiving a notice of default from its longtime lender, Lion Capital.
   
The default notice was based on the claim that founder Dov Charney ceased to be CEO of the company, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission today. (Lion had a stipulation in its loan agreement, which was signed last year, stating that if Charney left the company, it would be in default.)
  


Washington, D.C. - Shop.org is adding two new members to its board of directors and welcoming back eight members that currently serve on the board. Each member will serve a two-year term.

New Shop.org Board members:

• Bryon Colby, senior VP of digital commerce, Cornerstone Brands/HSNi; and
• Deepika Pandey, group VP, customer experience, direct and digital marketing, Walgreen Co.