OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

New York -- New York City Pension Funds is urging shareholders to vote against the re-election of Wal-Mart Stores CEO Mike Duke and four other board members out of concerns about the chain’s bribery investigation in Mexico, the Associated Press reported.

The pension group owns 5.6 million shares of Wal-Mart, which has more than 3.4 billion shares outstanding.

Atlanta -- Aldata announced that Raley’s Family of Fine Stores, a California-based supermarket chain, has expanded its use of Aldata Space Automation to create and maintain category- to store-specific planograms for high-volume categories, and, in turn, enable broader vendor collaboration.

Philadelphia -- McDonald’s and Wal-Mart Stores are among the Top 20 companies in the world for leadership, taking the No. 6 and No. 8 spots respectively, according to an annual study by global management firm Hay Group. The two chains were the only retailers to make the list.

New York -- Target will soon stop selling the Amazon Kindle line of e-readers and tablets.

Target representative Molly Snyder said the company is "phasing out Kindles and Amazon- and Kindle-branded products in the spring of 2012,” in a report on CNNMoney.com.

The retailer has declined to comment on the specific date or the reason that the products will no longer be on its shelves. The chain will continue to sell other e-readers, including the Barnes and Noble’s Nook.

Chicago -- The Network of Executive Women (NEW) is honoring Michael Duke, president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, with its William J. Grize Diversity Hall of Fame Award, on June 28 during Women's Day at the LPGA in Rogers Ark.

The award, named after the late CEO of Ahold USA, who was an early advocate of industry diversity, is bestowed upon industry leaders who have demonstrated “an enduring commitment to the advancement of women and to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace,” NEW stated.

New York -- Edward Lampert, chairman of Sears Holdings, presented an ambitious plan on Wednesday to improve the company’s performance that includes updating store layouts and signage and investing in its rewards program, Reuters reported.

“We are not here to just survive. We are here to transform,” Lampert told shareholders at the company's annual meeting, according to the report.

Sears is focusing on better inventory management, having the right fashions and being more customer friendly, the report said.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. revealed in a Monday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that the previously announced spinoff of its Sears’s Outlet and Sears’s Hometown and Hardware stores will now combine the two chains into one separate company.

The move, part of Sears’ initiative to cut expense and regain profits, will result in the newly named Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc. and a public offering that is expected to raise $400 to $500 million for Sears.

Green Bay, Wis. -- Shopko Stores, through a partnership with Wishabi, is now offering customers access to a digital circular online at Shopko.com.