Retail

AUSTIN — Whole Foods is focusing on immune support by offering educational podcasts, in-store lectures, a brochure and a "seasonal wellness shopping list" to customers this fall.

Whole Foods said that the promotion, which is being held during the months of October and November, is part of the Be Good to Your Whole Body campaign.

New York City -- Wal-Mart Stores announced Monday that the president of its China unit is stepping down. A company spokesman said the resignation was unrelated to a Chinese government food safety case against several Wal-Mart stores.

Ed Chan, CEO of Wal-Mart China, left for personal reasons, the company said. Scott Price, president of Walmart Asia, will fill the position in the interim.

Let’s say you are a major global retailer, perhaps the largest in the world, and interested in expanding into markets beyond the 28 where you currently have a presence. Is the better strategy to publicly identify new markets of interest and a timetable for entry, thereby elevating asset prices, or to shun deal-making to pursue ample organic growth opportunities in existing markets all the while reserving the right to strike opportunistically when market conditions are most favorable?

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. said Thursday that the president of Target.com, Steve Eastman, has departed the company to pursue other opportunities.

The retailer said the decision is unrelated to the performance of its online business. However, the crash of its website last month during the launch of its exclusive Missoni collection led to much criticism.

Eastman is the second major executive to leave Target this month.

Walmart didn’t release a third-quarter same-store sales figure when it held a meeting with financial analysts on Wednesday, but it might as well have. Everything else the company’s senior executives said about the performance of the U.S. stores division indicated the nightmare that has been nine consecutive quarter of negative comps will end on Nov. 15 when quarterly results are reported.

Commerce, Calif. -- 99 Cents Only Stores reported Friday that same-store sales for the second quarter rose 6.7%. The news comes just days after the discounter agreed to a $1.6 billion buyout by private equity firm Ares Management LLC and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Total revenue for the quarter ended Oct. 1 rose 8.8% to $363 million.
 

Middleton, Wis. -- American Girl, a division of Mattel, will open a store at Chesterfield Mall, in the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield, Mo.

The 10,850-sq-.ft. American Girl store is slated to open in spring 2012.

Arlington, Va. -- With the presidential campaign in full swing and discussion of a new national sales tax as a component to tax reform being discussed, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) reiterated the strong opposition of the retail community to any sort of national sales tax or Value Added Tax (VAT).