Cause Marketing/ Community Programs

Kohl's is reaching out to its associates as well as the general public impacted by Hurricane Harvey.   The retailer said it will provide an estimated $1 million in financial support to its employees who have been significantly impacted by the storm. Kohl’s will continue to monitor the impact of the flooding throughout the region to evaluate the need for additional assistance.   

On the heels of opening its first location in Arizona, West Elm is entering a new state.   The home furnishings retailer, a division of Williams-Sonoma, will open its first store in Maine, in the historic Old Port district of Portland. The 12,000 sq. ft. location will open its doors on Thursday, July 27.   

Walmart has launched a digital platform to share tips and learnings that grew out of its five-year Women's Economic Empowerment Initiative.     As part of the ambitious initiative, which Walmart completed in January, the chain sourced $20 billion from Women Owned Businesses (WOBs) for its U.S. business, increased sourcing from WOBs internationally, and trained more than 1 million women worldwide.  

Consumers rank Wegmans, Publix Super Markets, and Amazon.com as the top three companies when it comes to corporate social responsibility efforts.   

Starbucks is keeping good on its latest national initiative.    The coffee giant said it will open a store in Dallas, in spring 2018, and Trenton, New Jersey, later this year, as part of its program to invest in at least 15 underserved communities across the U.S. by 2018. To date, Starbucks has opened six similar stores, including in Ferguson, Missouri, central Phoenix, and East Baltimore.  

Walmart  is stepping up its commitment to its workers who serve in the military by covering the difference when an employee's military salary is less than what the person makes working at the store.  

The countdown is on to the highly-anticipated U.S. debut of a sequel to the popular holiday-themed movie “Love Actually.” 

Five dynamic retail and restaurant brands — Altar’d State, Bentley’s Pet Stuff, MOD Pizza, Sugarfina and Warby Parker — took home the honors as the winners of Chain Store Age’s annual Breakout Retailer Awards.

The awards, selected by CSA’s editorial board and sponsored by Paint Folks, recognize innovative retail and restaurant concepts that are on their way up —brands that have crossed the “newbie” line, and are well positioned for growth, in store, online, or both.