Content about Nature

WASHINGTON — In an effort to assure customers that private-label products are meeting the proper nutrition criteria, Walmart is implementing a transparent initiative called "Great For You," an icon that calls out healthy foods sold in Walmart stores, Walmart announced on Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club has announced the availability of three new proprietary brands found exclusively at Club locations nationwide: Simply Right, Artisan Fresh and Daily Chef. 

The products under the three brands were previously all available under the Member's Mark brand. Sam's Club said it decided to break out the labels after research determining members' priority needs in health and wellness, fresh, flavorful meal solutions and everyday cooking.

SAN FRANCISCO — Gap Inc. has announced plans to bring the Gap brand to Serbia and Ukraine through new agreements with existing franchise partners. The stores are scheduled to open in 2011 in the cities of Belgrade and Kiev where customers will be able to shop products from Gap, GapKids and babyGap.

In a move to boost its competitive footing against the warehouse home centers, Ace Hardware Corp. is planning a paint-and-primer-in-one launch later this year.

Ace executives describe the paint as a "flagship new product" by providing convenience and ease of application. The branding of the new product will be unveiled when the launch occurs, possibly during the third quarter of this year.

FAIRFIELD, Conn. -- The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company announced that, along with its sister Ahold USA supermarkets, $100,000 will be donated to the American Red Cross Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund to support disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Additionally, through Sunday, April 3, Stop & Shop said it will be collecting donations in all stores for the victims of the natural disasters in Japan on behalf of the American Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Lowe's announced that it will donate $1 million to support the Red Cross Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami relief effort that is assisting victims in Japan. The company said that customers who want to help Lowe's support Japan relief efforts can do so by making a donation on Lowes.com and Lowe’s Canada website, Lowes.ca. Money donated will go to the American Red Cross and the Canadian Red Cross.

BETHPAGE, N.Y. — New York-based supermarket retailer King Kullen announced that it is partnering with NuVal to provide customers with better insight of what foods they should be eating.

NuVal's nutrition scoring system — in which store items receive a NuVal score from 1 to 100, making it easy for consumers to compare the overall nutrition of the foods they buy at a glance — will be implemented in all of King Kullen's stores, which are located throughout Long Island and Staten Island.

CLEVELAND -- Sherwin-Williams announced that it is partnered with the lifestyle television network HGTV to launch "HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams," an exclusive line of interior paint and painting supplies in the second quarter of 2011. The licensing partnership includes eight unique color collections, durable and low-odor paint manufactured by Sherwin-Williams, as well as an array of smart tools designed to help consumers enjoy the perfect painting experience, the company reported.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Addressing customers' demand for affordable and nutritious meal options, Fresh & Easy is expanding its popular Eatwell line.

Building on the success of the Eatwell line, which launched last year, are such meal options as steak and spinach salad, spicy tomato chicken pasta and garlic alfredo salmon. The new meals range in price from $2.49 to $4.99.

Each Eatwell meal contains no more than 25% of the daily values for calories, fat, saturated fat and sodium (based upon a 2,000-calorie diet).