Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

Members of various community groups are not making it easy for Walmart to build in the Chinatown neighborhood of Los Angeles. According to reports, several groups including the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) which appealed Walmart's approved building permits, are working to appeal the process. Read more.

By Tony Burton, [email protected]

Tax season is upon us and retailers are aiming to get all of their ducks in a row. Yet, there are a number of complicated tax issues that are difficult for retailers to manage and many will be worrying about audits and penalties after they have filed. During an audit, numerous U.S. retailers discover that inaccurate or outdated geolocational data has led them to take too much or too little tax on customer payments or employee withholdings.

New York -- American Express Co. has become the first company to pull its gift cards from being sold in New Jersey drug stores, supermarkets and convenience stores in response to a controversial new revision in the state's unclaimed property law. (The only way New Jersey residents can now buy AmEx gift cards is directly from the company.)

New York -- Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy, a Los Angeles community group, as filed an appeal against the building permits granted to Wal-Mart Stores to build a store in the city's Chinatown neighborhood, the Associated Press reported.

The chain obtained necessary permits to build a 33,000-sq-ft. store last week, one day before the City Council was due to vote on a building moratorium for large retail chains in Chinatown, the report said.
 

DALLAS — On orders of the U.S. Department of Defense, The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, will for the first time in its 116-year history, name a civilian to the role of CEO/director.

Until such a person is named, COO Mike Howard will take over as acting CEO/director as the organization’s board of directors seeks a permanent replacement. 

The United States isn’t the only country where workers’ rights are called into question by pro labor groups. North of the border, Target, which is expanding there for the first time, is facing criticism for its "anti-worker" policies from unions in both the United States and Canada. 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — On the eve of a potential Federal Trade Commission approval of the Express Scripts/Medco merger, Walgreens' underlying fundamentals still are strong, Walgreens president and CEO Greg Wasson told analysts Tuesday morning. It's that underlying strength that has helped Walgreens in the wake of its exit from the Express Scripts pharmacy benefit network, a factor that impacted Walgreens' net earnings by 7 cents per diluted share for its second quarter ended Feb. 29. Net earnings for the second quarter were $683 million, a 7.7% decrease.

Walmart took a chance on unemployed welfare recipient Girshriela Green when it hired her for a part-time job in the low-income Los Angeles neighborhood of Crenshaw. Now she’s out of work, in pain, on government assistance and being held up by as an example of Walmart bad behavior in an article that doubles as a union recruitment tool.