Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

Grand Rapids, Mich. – A rival Midwestern grocery chain is reportedly accusing regional mass merchandiser Meijer Inc. of offering unfairly low prices on grocery products. According to the Milwaukee Business Journal, Milwaukee-based law firm Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan has filed five complaints against Meijer from an unnamed client who is grocer with stores in Wisconsin.

Reagan era appointee David Stockman is no fan of the current administration or the Federal Reserve’s long-running easy money policy and to make his case against the flawed strategy he singles out four of the biggest names in department store retailing.

Stockman is the Reagan era director of the Office of Management and Budget who became a Wall Street executive and now regularly opines on the troubled state of the economy and looming dangers caused by nearly eight years of zero interest rates he contends have produced all manner of distortions in the economy.

New York -- Almost as quickly as tiny northwest grocer Haggen became a regional player by acquiring 146 former Safeway and Albertsons stores the company is retrenching and has plans to close a large number of stores.

San Diego – The ranks of publicly traded retailers are going to have a new member. Petco Holdings Inc. has publicly filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a proposed initial public offering (IPO) of its common stock.

Target has reached an agreement with Visa card issuers to reimburse costs related to a data breach at the retailer in 2013.

According to The Wall Street Journal, agreement, which could entail as much as $67 million in reimbursement costs, comes three months after a proposed $19 million settlement between Target and Mastercard fell through.

Read more about the deal by clicking here.

Minneapolis – Target Corp. has reportedly reached a settlement with Visa Inc. that will reimburse issuers of Visa cards for costs related to the retailer’s 2013 data breach. According to the Wall Street Journal, the agreement will reimburse thousands of card issuers for potentially up to $67 million.

Toano, Va. – Shuffling in the executive ranks continues at embattled Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc., in the wake of accusations the retailer sold Chinese hardwood laminate products that had illegal levels of formaldehyde. Lumber Liquidators has hired Jill Witter as chief compliance and legal officer.  

Retail consulting firm McMillanDoolittle, Chicago, weighs in on its blog with three reasons why any retailer using the practice of “on-call” labor scheduling should end it immediately.