Corporate Governance

3M wowed investors on Tuesday by sharing aggressive organic growth plans, doubling a share repurchase program, raising the prospect of billion dollar acquisitions and increasing its dividend by 35%.

The $30 billion company offered the details during a meeting with investors to update a five-year growth plan that extends through 2017. The plan envisions 9% to 11% growth in earnings per share, 4% to 6% organic revenue growth and approximately a 20% return on invested capital.

Seattle – Starbucks anticipates record purchases and activations of Starbucks cards on Thursday, Dec. 19. Last year, more than 2 million Starbucks cards were purchased in the U.S. and Canada on the Thursday before Christmas, representing nearly 1,500 cards purchased per minute in the U.S. and Canada.

Toys “R” Us is resorting a familiar tactic and keeping its doors open from 6 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 21 through 9 p.m. Christmas Eve to drive last-minute holiday shoppers into its stores.

All Toys “R” Us stores nationwide are advertising around-the-clock savings and deals during the final 87 hours of Christmas shopping, along with daily deliveries through Christmas Eve. Only full-service stores in Paramus, N.J., and Puerto Rico, will not be open 24 hours a day.

Deerfield Park, Ill. – Most Walgreens stores will be open until midnight through Christmas Eve, and most stores will be open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, including 1,600 24-hour locations. On Christmas Day, most non-24-hour stores will be open from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m.

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Prepaid payment network Blackhawk Network unveiled a partnership arrangement with Coinstar, offering customers of Coinstar’s 20,300 coin exchange kiosks a selection of Blackhawk eGifts for no fee when they cash in coins via the kiosks.

The eGift codes are redeemable at issuing retailers – either in-store, online or via mobile devices. Merchants include Gap, iTunes, Lowe's, Southwest Airlines, Toys "R" Us, Babies "R" Us and others.

Guthy-Renker, the company behind Proactiv and other wellness products, named Jay Sung to the role of chief marketing officer to lead a broad slate of initiatives at the direct marketing company.

Sung will report to Seth Radwell, Guthy-Renker’s co-president and chief revenue officer, and help the company pursue 2014 growth objectives for brands such as Proactiv+, Meaningful Beauty, WEN Haircare and Sheer Cover Studio.

Washington, D.C. -- The U.S, Department of Commerce will reportedly start meeting with companies including Facebook, Apple and Wal-Mart in February 2014 to create voluntary guidelines for the commercial use of facial recognition technology. According to Bloomberg, the Department of Commerce plans to have formal guidelines ready for release in June 2014.

By Graeme McVie, VP, LoyaltyOne, [email protected]

Statistics tell the story: the U.S. population is getting older at a dramatic rate. The Department of Health & Human Service’s Administration on Aging estimates that nearly 55 million people – nearly one-in-six – will be age 65 or older by 2020, compared with 40 million in 2010.