Education

The Walmart Foundation has kicked off a summer-long initiative to help children and families gain access to nutritious meals and learn healthy-eating habits. Walmart is also collaborating with Chef Lorena Garcia, chef and author with TV appearances on Bravo’s “Top Chef Masters” and NBC’s “Biggest Loser,” to launch the Eat Healthy Together Challenge on Twitter.

MWV’s board of directors chose James Nevels as a new member, the packaging company announced Thursday.
 
Nevels, the 62-year-old chairman of the Philadelphia-based investment advisory firm The Swarthmore Group and president of the Hershey Company’s board of directors, will work on MWV’s development and auditing committees. He joins the board as the company works to increase its margin goals and expand its packaging endeavors.
 

The Barnes & Noble board has given the company the green light to separate its retail and Nook Media businesses to optimize shareholder value.

The company anticipates completing the separation of the businesses into two separate public companies by the end of the first quarter next year.

The Shopko Foundation has announced the recipients of its Shopko Teammate and Family Scholarships for the 2014-2015 school year. The foundation awarded $75,000 in scholarships to 30 students in 9 states.

Unlike most consumers, the retail industry doesn’t take a holiday in the summer. As we head into July, three very different retail companies are very much in the news. One has the industry all abuzz over who will be its next chief, while another has launched a pioneering employee initiative. And the newly appointed chief of the third wants to turn a cult L.A. brand into a global powerhouse. I’m fascinated by all three:

•  Target: At press time, there is no clear front-runner to replace ousted CEO Gregg Steinhafel.

Amazon’s books editors have chosen their annual list of the 10 best books that have been released since January.

This year, a biography of author John Updike tops the list, and the other nine books span everything from a book on Edward Snowden and the NSA to a fictionalized story of American abolitionist and women’s rights advocate Sarah Grimké.

The overall list is one of 18 that get compiled around this time of year in various categories like cookbooks, audiobooks and others.

The top 10 books of 2014 so far are:

Sporting goods and apparel retailer Academy Sports + Outdoors has renewed multi-year contracts with Auburn University and the University of Alabama. The renewal means that it will continue to sell the universities’ licensed products in its 13 Alabama stores.
 
The retailer is currently an official sponsor of University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide and official sporting goods retailer for Auburn University’s Tigers, and has been working with the two universities for several years.
 

Macy’s has added Annie Young-Scrivner, EVP of Starbucks Coffee Company and president of its Teavana business, to its board of directors.