News

New York City -- A western Pennsylvania woman filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday against Target Corp. and its law firm over the chain's debt-collection practices, the Associated Press reported. The woman claims false affidavits were used to go after customers who allegedly owed money to a subsidiary bank that issues the store's credit cards.

Walmart is out with its 2011 Global Responsibility Report, and it is a beast of a document at 106 pages. A lot of those pages contain pretty pictures, such as the cover which shows a young girl in a grassy field pointing skyward to Walmart’s Spark logo, but there is plenty of substance too. The document is also broader in scope than prior iterations, which had a tighter focus on sustainability.

It has become something of a tradition at Walmart’s annual meeting that shareholders are asked to consider a number of proposals, which the board of directors typically recommends shareholders reject. It appears likely that will be the case again this year when the shareholders’ meeting is held on June 3 and five proposals are on the ballot.

Wayne, N.J. -- Toys “R” Us announced Wednesday that it will open a new e-commerce distribution center near Reno, Nev., to support its expanding online business.

The dedicated e-commerce fulfillment center, located in McCarran, is slated to open in July.

Once operational, the retailer said the 300,000-sq.-ft. facility will enable it to increase its fulfillment capacity and expedite deliveries to online customers in the western United States.

New York City -- Women’s fashion apparel retailer Francesca's Holdings Corp. filed for up to an estimated $150 million to be raised in an initial public offering.

The company has about $41.4 million in proceeds from the offering earmarked toward repaying a senior secured credit facility, Dow Jones Newswires reported. Remaining funds may be used for opening new stores and growing its e-commerce business.

For the year ended Jan. 29, Francesca's same-store sales climbed 15% on top of a 9.8% increase a year earlier.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Joseph Selame, who designed a wide range of well-known logos and brand identities for dozens of nonprofit organizations and companies, including CVS/pharmacy, died on March 29 in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 86.

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets’ official Facebook page is celebrating its 10,000th fan with exclusive coupon offers, the grocer announced Tuesday.

Weis Markets’ Facebook fans now are eligible for these coupons at Facebook.com/WeisSuperMarket. The coupon offers include $5 off a $50 purchase; $1 off 12-oz. Weis quality granola; $1 off 12-count Weis quality coffee solos and $1 off a Weis Five Star item.

By Jeff Weidauer, jweidauer_@_vestcom.com

One of the drawbacks of today’s connected global economy is the pervasive homogeneity in nearly everything. One can visit any state -- indeed, nearly any country -- and see many of the same stores and restaurants offering the same products.