Events

Another pure online retailer has made the leap to brick-and-mortar. The Monocle Order, an online member’s club for sunglasses and optical frames, has opened a flagship in Brooklyn’s uber hip Williamsburg neighborhood.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will hold its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on Friday, June 7, including an executive update by president and CEO Mike Duke.

As many as 14,000 global Walmart associates are also attending the event, most arriving in time for elaborate pre-meeting activities. "Our success is only possible because of the hard work and dedication of our 2.2 million associates around the world,” said Susan Chambers, executive VP global people, at Walmart.

Staples and Boys & Girls Clubs of America have brought teen actor Jake T. Austin on board for the 6th annual Staples for Students national school supply drive.

Austin will be featured in the campaign’s public service announcement, now available online and airing on television and radio stations starting next month.

SAN FRANCISCO — Pottery Barn Kids, part of Williams-Sonoma’s brands portfolio, has launched its Summer Reading Challenge in partnership with PBS Kids. 

The challenge, which runs through August 26, is designed to promote a love of learning and literacy in kids and their families throughout the summer months. It also draws foot traffic into its brick and mortar stores, and is an exercise in brand awareness, as young children will recognize the brand and associate it with the reading challenge, making them potential future customers. 

STRATHAM, N.H. — Timberland has released its 2012 CSR performance data, showcasing the company's sustainability efforts for that year.

Among those efforts were the following:
•    39% of materials used in Timberland-branded apparel were derived from recycled, organic or renewable sources
•    98% of footwear SKUs used leather sourced from gold or silver rated tanneries

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot has joined forces with boy band One Direction to raise money for an anti-bullying education program. The anti-bullying campaign is set to launch across the United States during the 2013 back-to-school season.

The Kids In Need Foundation will hold its 15th annual Kids In Need Foundation Education Celebration Gala Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the Depot, in Minneapolis, Minn. 

A cocktail reception, sponsored by Target, will kick things off at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Gala Dinner, sponsored by 3M, at 7:30 p.m. 

ATLANTA — The Home Depot announced a single-day effort to prepare residents in storm-prone regions for the upcoming hurricane season. On July 27, Home Depot said it will host Hurricane Preparedness Workshops at more than 700 of its stores from the Gulf Coast to New England.

The expansion of the workshops is one of several preemptive measures the company is taking in preparation for 2013 hurricane activity, which is once again predicted to be above average.