Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

Tuesday’s election continued a trend we have witnessed over the past few years — Republicans dominated statewide contests while Democrats locked down Mayoral seats in key major metropolitan markets.

One year ago, Republicans won by historic margins at the state level, installing 31 Republican governors and winning control of 67 of the 98 state legislative chambers. On Tuesday, Republicans not only defended those advances, but added to that margin by winning decisively in Kentucky.

Walgreens may have to shutter as many as 3,000 stores in its bid to buy Rite Aid, or 65% of Rite Aid's store base, according to one real estate analyst in a Fortune story published Thursday, including 1,000 locations Walgreens is willing to jettison as part of any FTC negotiation and another 2,000 locations after the merger is complete.

For retailers, a diligent and detailed vetting of applicants — including employment verifications, thorough interviews and comprehensive background checks — should be a standard part of any responsible hiring and candidate review process. At the best of times, this process can be a complex and time-consuming endeavor. When retailers are looking to hire temporary or part-time seasonal help, especially for the holidays, the degree of difficulty goes up significantly.

Texture Plus, the largest U.S. manufacturer of high-impact textured faux wall panels, urged the United States Senate and House of Representatives to quickly pass the “Restaurant and Retail Jobs and Growth Act.”

“Retailers and restaurants depend on remodeling their locations every five years to stay competitive,” said Brian Kampe, CEO. “The standard 39 year depreciation for building remodeling makes those improvements a difficult tax burden.”

Earlier this month, Reebok was hit with a proposed class action alleging that the company’s website violates the Americans with Disabilities Act because it is not accessible to the blind. The plaintiffs argue that Reebok.com contains “thousands of access barriers” that make it difficult — if not impossible — for blind customers to use the site.

The merger agreement between Walgreens Boots Alliance and Rite Aid must be consummated by Oct. 27, 2016, or the deal is off, according to documents filed to the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. That deadline could be extended to Jan. 27, 2017 under some circumstances, according to the document.

Despite concern from smaller pharmacies, Walgreens’ plan to acquire Rite Aid is likely to be approved by the FTC, according to a report by International Business Times. “The location strategies of these two companies have been historically quite different,” said Howard Davidowitz, a New York-based retail consultant.

There has been a bit of controversy lately regarding Urban Outfitters' recent request that some of their salaried employees “volunteer” to fill normally hourly roles in fulfillment centers and retail outlets. The labor community and their activist friends have been crying foul over what they perceive is the manipulation of salaried junior managers by forcing them to work “hourly” jobs and getting no additional pay or benefits.