News

Naperville, Ill. -- The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has approved the merger of Office Max Inc. and Office Depot, the retailers said in a joint statement on Friday. The companies anticipate completing the transaction after market close on November 5, 2013.  

Having laid a foundation of access, transparency and trust since arriving at Walmart U.S. four years ago, chief merchandising and marketing officer Duncan Mac Naughton’s top priority these days is leveraging joint business planning processes with up to 300 key suppliers to tap new growth opportunities.

Ask six senior merchandising executives from Walmart and Sam’s Club what keeps them up at night and be prepared for an interesting collection of answers relating to key competitors and assorted challenges.

That’s what Scott Huff, SVP/GMM of consumable at Walmart did this week during a panel discussion with six Walmart and Sam’s Club VP/DMMs during the Emerging Trends in Retail Conference organized by the Center for Retailing Excellence in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.

Bank holding company Green Dot and Walmart have expanded the line of MoneyCard branded reloadable prepaid debit cards to include six new card types.

Prior to the latest agreement, Green Dot offered three version of prepaid debit products at 4,100 Walmart stores.

Walmart U.S. president and CEO Bill Simon and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced at the SelectUSA 2013 Investment Summit that three suppliers have made new domestic manufacturing commitments that will create 385 jobs.

The move is part of the retailer’s previously announced pledge to buy an additional $50 billion in U.S.-made products over the next decade.

Walmart said that Elan-Polo, Louis Hornick & Company and EveryWare Global will produce footwear, curtains and glassware, respectively.

Hillshire Brands reported net sales of $984 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2014 — that’s a 1% increase from the prior year’s first quarter, driven by positive pricing and mix in the company's foodservice/other segment.

Retail net sales showed a slight dip of 0.7% in the quarter versus a strong prior year comparable. Favorable mix was more than offset by lower volumes and lower pricing, reflecting higher above-the-line marketing investment.

Clorox saw volume for the first quarter ended Sept. 30 increase 1%, primarily driven by gains in the company's professional products, charcoal, laundry and Burt's Bees businesses, which were partially offset by declines in home care.

Sales grew 2%, with increases in three out of four segments, reflecting the benefit of price increases, higher volume and favorable mix and assortment, partially offset by unfavorable foreign currency exchange rates. Excluding the impact of foreign currencies, sales grew 3.5%.

Blue Nile, a leading online retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry, experienced its sixth consecutive quarter of double digit growth.

Net sales increased 10.1% to $98.9 million for the third quarter, compared to $89.8 million for the year-ago quarter.

LONDON — P&G Professional, a division of Procter and Gamble that supplies professional cleaning products to hotels, restaurants, care homes and other businesses, has unveiled an e-commerce site making P&G Professional's new range of specialist branded cleaning products available for online purchase.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has given Office Max and Office Depot clearance to proceed with their proposed merger. The companies anticipate completing the transaction after market close on Nov. 5, subject to the satisfaction of remaining closing conditions.