Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

New York City -- Borders Group may file for bankruptcy reorganization as early as Monday or Tuesday after failing to persuade publishers and others to go along with a plan to refinance the struggling chain's debt, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The retailer plans to initially close about 200 of its 674 stores, the report said, which cited unnamed sources.

New York City -- The Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights will allow a civil rights complaint over an online job application used by CVS Caremark Corp. to go forward, saying there is probable cause to believe the pharmacy chain violated state anti-discrimination laws, the Associated Press said.

The finding, released by the American Civil Liberties Union, allows the ACLU to sue the company.

New York City -- The California Supreme Court says merchants in the state can no longer ask credit-card customers for their ZIP codes, the Associated Press reported.

Crain’s New York Business this week reported on an interesting situation involving Walmart and the hype surrounding the company entry into the city. According to author Greg David, “as the opponents of Walmart continue their campaign to prevent the company from opening stores in New York, it remains a mystery how they intend to do that. David notes that the City Council has no power to intervene in leases signed at existing retail locations, and the company seems more determined than ever to take on the Big Apple.

Cost segregation is a bargain tax strategy for shopping center owners

By Eli Loebenberg, [email protected]

MONTVALE, N.J. — Bankrupt grocer A&P has announced the election of Greg Rayburn to its board of directors, replacing Dr. Jens-Jürgen Böckel, who has resigned from the board.

Oakland, Calif. -- A report Friday by the Los Angeles Times said that Target Corp. will pay the state of California $22.5 million to settle claims that the retailer improperly disposed of waste.

WASHINGTON -- The National Retail Federation announced that it has promoted Carleen Kohut, who has served as NRF SVP and CFO for the past ten years, to COO, as part of board-approved restructuring plan. Additionally, Susan Newman, VP conferences, has been promoted to SVP conferences and Mike Gatti, formerly SVP communications, has been named SVP member relations.

Slowly but surely the headwinds Walmart has faced for years in its domestic expansion efforts have begun to diminish to the point where major victories are now being scored. Two examples stood out this week on opposite sides of the country. The highest profile of these is the situation in New York where it may not seem like Walmart won a victory this week, but it did. Walmart’s entry into the city has been the subject of considerable and heated debate for at least five years, but the situation has come to head in recent months.

Los Angeles -- Ralphs Grocery Co. has pleaded no contest to overcharging customers for prepackaged and weighed products at stores in Los Angeles, according to a Thursday report by the Associated Press.

The grocery chain entered pleas before the case was scheduled to go to trial. The no contest plea was entered for 62 misdemeanor charges, including false advertising, mislabeling and selling items that weigh less than they should.

A sentencing date will be set Thursday.