Walmart

Walmart has named Technical Consumer Products as a 2013 Hardware/Paint Supplier of the Year in appreciation for the company’s support, outstanding contributions and overall operational fulfillment.

TCP, a leader in energy efficient lighting innovations, currently supplies more than 50 lighting products to Walmart, including LED and CFL light bulbs. Walmart has honored TCP with seven awards for supplier excellence in less than three years.

One topic that’s been on my mind lately is the growing Hispanic market in the U.S., and what its clout and purchasing power will mean for retailers — and, subsequently, for retail real estate — in the years ahead. “Emerging” is probably too mild of a word to describe the Hispanic market — exploding might be more accurate.

Cooking Light, Time Inc.’s leading epicurean brand, has expanded its prepared-foods line and co-branded SodaStream flavors to Target and Walmart.

It has been about five months since the Target data breach made the vulnerability of retail POS data a hot topic. Investigation has since shown the Target breach did not involve POS terminals. However, high-profile thefts of customer payment card data from Target and other retailers including Neiman Marcus, Michaels and Sally Beauty Supply have highlighted the need for U.S. retailers to adopt the global Europass, MasterCard and Visa (EMV) standard for accepting payments from cards that store consumer information on secure embedded microchips, rather than on magnetic stripes.

Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) president and CEO Pamela G. Bailey said that the association will honor retired Walmart president and CEO Mike Duke with the 2014 GMA Hall of Achievement Award, the organization’s highest honor, at its Leadership Forum Aug. 23 at The Broadmoor.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples Inc. said on Monday that it has agreed to buy PNI Digital Media, Canadian company whose software platform enables retailers to sell such personalized products as photo books, calendars, business cards, documents, wedding invitations, and stationery. The cash transaction is valued at approximately C$73.9 million ($67.5 million).

PNI’s software powers both online and in-store platforms. Its retail clients include Costco and Walmart Canada.

Lighting plays a critical role in retail, and is rapidly evolving to meet changing regulations and customer needs. Dr. Laura Prestwood Thompson, director of the TCU Center for Lighting Education, Texas Christian University, discussed how stores and restaurants in 2025 will light their interiors and looked at the technologies and trends that will impact retail lighting during the SPECS workshop session, “Lighting 2025.”

“The quality of light is key,” Thompson said. “You create an aesthetic for your brand that impacts the customer experience.”

Walmart may not operate stores in New York but it managed to enlist the aid of the city’s top trash executive to reinforce the importance of accelerating recycling efforts.