Corporate Governance

Transplace, Dal-Tile, Whirlpool, Convermex and Werner Co. were recipients of Supply Chain Innovation Award presented recently at the annual meeting of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).

Washington, D.C. -- The Global Port Tracker report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates found that import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 9.9% in October as merchants wrap up the annual shipping cycle for holiday merchandise.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens on Tuesday received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's 2012 SmartWay Excellence Award, the organization's highest recognition for demonstrated leadership in supply chain goods movement. The award — recognizing Walgreens as an industry leader in freight supply chain efficiency, performance and environmental sustainability — was announced at the American Trucking Associations Annual Management Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas.

Mooresville, N.C. -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Lowe’s Cos. the highest honors for industry leadership in its WaterSense and SmartWay programs.

Lowe’s received the 2012 SmartWay Excellence Award for its environmental performance in the freight transportation industry. Last week, the EPA named Lowe’s the 2012 WaterSense Retailer Partner of the Year for its efforts to educate consumers about water-efficient products and practices.

New York -- Garrison Investment Group said Tuesday it has acquired a 13-property portfolio totaling 1.7 million sq. ft. of neighborhood and community shopping centers in Ohio and Indiana. The seller is Kimco Realty Corp.

The 13 properties feature retailers such as T.J. Maxx, Giant Eagle, Kroger, Bed Bath & Beyond and Home Depot.

Garrison engaged Cincinnati-based Select Strategies Realty manage and lease the properties.

New York -- The Conference Board Employment Trends Index decreased again in September, following a downward revision in August. The index now stands at 107.86, down from the revised figure of 108.23 in August. The September figure is 5.4% higher than a year ago.

Seattle -- Nordstrom Inc. said Tuesday that it has opened a second Cleveland Nordstrom Rack store – at the Promenade in Crocker Park, owned and managed by Stark Enterprises.

The 34,000-sq.-ft. store is slated to open fall 2013 in a former Border’s space at the lifestyle shopping center located in Westlake, Ohio, and tenanted by Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M, Trader Joe’s, Victoria’s Secret and The Cheesecake Factory.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only person in the industry to raise an eyebrow when the S&P Retail Index notched an all-time high last month. Closing at $669.26 on September 14th to reach that milestone, the index has continued to creep up even further the last couple of weeks. A closer look at the stock market performance of the retail sector shows that both REITs and many individual retailers are continuing a strong positive trend—which makes sense, of course, because REITs will perform better in a strong retail environment when retailers are doing well.

Atlanta -- The SpendTrend analysis for September, released Tuesday by First Data Corp., found that card spending in September was down from the month prior.

The report, which tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT, closed-loop prepaid cards and checks at U.S. merchant locations, showed that overall dollar volume growth was 5.8%, down from August’s 7.2% growth.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp., which in February announced it would spin off its Hometown and Outlet businesses as a separate publicly traded entity, said Tuesday it expects to receive about $446.5 million in gross proceeds from an offering tied to the spinoffs.

The offering of rights to purchase shares of the spinoff debuted on the Nasdaq under the "SHOSR" ticker symbol in September. According to Sears, the rights offering expired on Monday; preliminary results show that more than 95% of the options were exercised.