Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

New York —The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P), which is working its way through Chapter 11, will close 13 Suprefresh stores in the Baltimore area in  July because it can't find anyone to buy the properties, The Baltimore Sun reported.

WASHINGTON — Pamela Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), has announced the appointment of Sean Darragh as EVP global strategies, a newly created position within the association.

The EVP global strategies, is responsible for expanding GMA’s international program by defining and effectively executing a global policy and advocacy strategy that is fully integrated into the GMA strategic plan, the association reported. 

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation Wednesday launched a major nationwide 60-day lobbying, grassroots and media campaign aimed at ensuring that a new federal law saving retailers and their customers more than $1 billion a month by lowering “swipe” fees banks charge to process debit-card transactions takes effect in late July as scheduled.

New York City -- Dillard’s will pay $50,000 and provide additional, unspecified relief to settle an age discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Triangle Business Journal reported.

New York City -- Wal-Mart Stores may give up its quest to buy a controlling stake in South Africa’s Massmart Holdings Ltd., if South Africa forces local procurement conditions on the retailers, the companies said, the Associated Press reported.

New York City -- Target Corp. and United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1500 have settled a dispute regarding which workers may cast ballots in a union election at the retailer's Valley Stream, N.Y., store, paving the way for the National Labor Relations Board to schedule the vote, Crain’s New York reported.

The election next month will apparently be the first at a Target store since 1990, when a union drive failed at a Detroit store.

BELLEVUE, Wash. — Drugstore.com on Tuesday announced the expiration of the waiting period under the U.S. Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, with respect to the proposed merger by which the company would be acquired by Walgreens in a cash transaction.

The deal previously was announced on March 24.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation announced that it is endorsing legislation that would repeal the employer mandate provision of last year’s healthcare reform law.