Retail

Annual study tracks cost of building and outftting stores

The cost of building and outfitting stores is on the rise, according to Chain Store Age's 2013 Store Construction and Outfitting Survey.

Washington, D.C. – A sizable majority of American consumers oppose efforts by the government to impose limits on the size of soft drinks and other sugary beverages sold in restaurants, according to results of a new Gallup poll. Sixty-nine percent of 1,015 consumers ages 18 and older said they would vote against a law limiting the size of sugary beverages to 16 oz.

Matthews, N.C. – A lawsuit filed against Family Dollar by Pipefitters Local No. 636 alleging that Family Dollar violated federal securities laws has been voluntarily dismissed by the plaintiff. Family Dollar had petitioned to have the suit dismissed, but Pipefitters Local No. 636 abandoned its claims before the court made a ruling. Family Dollar said it did not pay any money or make any concessions in relation to the claim being dropped.

New York – Investment firm Starboard Value, a shareholder in Office Depot, is foregoing a preliminary consent solicitation it filed against Office Depot in April in light of an order by the Delaware Chauncery Court for Office Depot to hold its annual meeting. Starboard Value had been pressing Office Depot to hold its annual meeting and commenced a consent solicitation to remove several existing directors in favor of Starboard's nominees.

Paris - Louis Vuitton said Tuesday it has tapped billionaire heiress Delphine Arnault as the company’s executive VP. As the second in command, the daughter of LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault will oversee all product-related activities of the Louis Vuitton House.

Bentonville, Ark. - Mike Duke, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, released the following statement in response to President Obama’s renewable energy address on Tuesday:

Denver – Furniture Row, parent company of home furnishings retailer Denver Mattress, is using the Oracle ATG e-commerce solution to both personalize the Denver Mattress e-commerce site and make it adaptable to the format of any device the customer chooses to employ. Using the “adaptive design” website design methodology enabled by ATG technology, the Denver Mattress site instantly recognizes what type of device — such as PC, smartphone or tablet — a customer is using and optimizes display for that specific screen.