Events

SIDNEY, Neb. — Cabela’s drew record attendance at its 2013 annual meeting of shareholders June 5 in Sidney, Neb., home of company headquarters.

A crowd of more than 3,000 gathered June 4 to catch a performance by Cabela’s ambassador and Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan, with fellow country star Jon Pardi, at the Cheyenne County Fairgrounds.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club CEO Rosalind Brewer announced the launch of a collaborative program supporting small business owners and entrepreneurs in 25 cities. The Grow Your Business Boot Camp series offers hands-on training seminars backed by a funding commitment of $500,000 from Sam's Club.

Retailers looking for insight into popular new products in the candy and snacks world can thank organizers of the Sweets & Snacks Expo for doing some heavy lifting.
 
A panel of experts at the 17th annual event sifted through hundreds of samples prior to the sold out trade show in Chicago and found eight worthy of the distinction of “Most Innovative New Product.”

Washington, D.C. -- Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 1.1% in June over the same month last year, reflecting modest growth expectations as retailers head toward the back-to-school and holiday seasons, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.



Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores names Brad Rogers as senior VP real estate. He replaces Keith Gehl, who retires from the company at the end of June.
   
Rogers joined Family Dollar in 1998 as a real estate manager with responsibility for new store development in North and South Carolina. Between 2006 and 2011, Rogers assumed greater roles with increased responsibilities, and in 2011, he was named VP real estate.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores  held its annual shareholders meeting on Friday morning and the most noteworthy development at the event — aside from a $15 billion share repurchase authorization — was a surprise appearance and glowing comments by Hollywood heavyweight Tom Cruise.

Fitness and lifestyle brand Athleta is sponsoring this year's Esprit de She 5K and 10K races, designed exclusively for women, to be held Thursday, June 27, at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre in Cary, N.C., just 15 minutes from downtown Raleigh.

Athleta's mission to "celebrate and inspire women athletes of all levels" while outfitting them with apparel geared toward athletic pursuits that include yoga, Pilates, running, swimming and biking, is in line with the Esprit de She event.

New York -- Bob Valair, director, energy & environmental management for Staples, will discuss how energy management is helping the retail chain save resources and add to the bottom line during a Chain Store Age Webinar on Tuesday, June 11, 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m PT).

Valair will also discuss Staples’ ongoing partnership with the EnergyStar program.   

Click here to register.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. announced a $15 billion share buyback program at its annual shareholder meeting on Friday. It also said it expects to generate $10 billion in global e-commerce sales by the end of the fiscal year.

The new buyback program replaces the previous $15 billion plan, which had about $712 million remaining under the 2011 authorization.  

WASHINGTON — Americans are going to stretch their budgets and spend a little more on dad this year, according to NRF’s 2013 Father’s Day spending survey conducted by BIGinsight. The average person is expected to shell out $119.84 on gifts this year, an increase of 2% from $117.14 last year. 

Total spending by people 18 and older in the United States for Father’s Day is expected to reach $13.3 billion.