News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Walmart Foundation has joined with The Band Perry, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and four of the nation's largest food companies — General Mills, ConAgra Foods, Kraft Foods and Kellogg Company — to fight hunger this spring. At an event in Nashville, leaders of this effort launched a campaign that will enable millions of Americans the opportunity to get involved by shopping at Walmart or visiting the company's Facebook page today through April 30.

ATLANTA — An organized retail theft ring that targeted 70 Home Depot stores in six states has been taken down by multi-agency task force after the arrest of three men in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. Two other suspects are still be sought. 

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — Staples has awarded five small businesses $50,000 in free advertising and cash as part of the “Give Your Small Business the Push It Needs” contest. 

Selected from hundreds of video entries submitted on Staples’ Facebook page (facebook.com/staples), each of the five small businesses will receive a total of $50,000 in local cable television advertising and cash in their home markets.

The winners include:

Pittsburgh -- GNC Holdings announced the release of its new iPhone application and introduction to Android Market. The application will follow GNC's successful entry into the smartphone marketplace with its March 2011 launch of the GNC iPhone application, which has received more than 100,000 downloads to date.

In addition to including even more mobile commerce features, the new app features health and wellness resources.

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Family Dollar Stores has named Jon Broz to the position of VP and assistant general counsel, litigation. Broz will report to James Snyder, Jr., SVP general counsel and secretary.

“We are excited to have someone with Jon’s breadth of retail litigation experience join our team,” said Snyder. “Jon has a strong reputation for working closely with his clients and seeking creative solutions to resolve disputes quickly and cost effectively.”

New York -- Facebook will purchase the photo-sharing application Instagram for about $1 billion in cash and stock, company CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Monday. The deal, which is the social-networking company’s largest acquisition to date, is expected to close later this quarter.

Instagram was named iPhone app of the year in 2011.

Facebook will acquire Instagram's entire team as part of the deal.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark has confirmed that Stuart McGuigan, SVP and CIO, will be leaving the company April 13.

CVS Caremark has initiated a search for his replacement, according to a company spokesperson.

McGuigan has served as SVP and CIO since December 2008. Before that, McGuigan was SVP and CIO of Liberty Mutual Group from September 2004 to December 2008, and was deputy CIO and SVP of Liberty Mutual from February 2004 to September 2004. From 2000 to February 2004, he was SVP information technology at Medco Health Solutions.

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. — Ikea, in partnership with American Forests, has planted 2 million trees across America through its Plant A Tree program.

Ikea launced the national in-store ‘Plant A Tree’ program in 1998 and since that time has raised $2 million through customer contributions and its own donations to plant the trees. During the month of April, Ikea Family ‘loyalty’ card member usage will also support Ikea in its donations to plant more trees through American Forests.