Content about Politics

Home Depot has plans for a major hurricane preparedness initiative this year, but the program doesn’t begin until nearly two months after residents of storm prone areas should already have plans in place.

Overall economic growth in Europe is slower than in the U.S., but the opposite is true when it comes to e-commerce sales, according to figures published by Internet Retailer.
 
U.S. e-commerce sales grew 15.9% to $225.54 billion in 2012 from $194.61 billion the prior year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce while the Centre for Retail Research in the U.K. said European e-commerce sales increased 16.6% to $302.2 billion from 260.4 billion.

The entire Walmart board was re-elected last Friday at the company’s shareholders meeting, but a substantial number of negative votes indicate some investors are not happy with long-time board members and key senior leaders.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot has reached an agreement to sell its 50% stake in Office Depot de Mexico S.A. de C.V. to its joint venture partner Grupo Gigante, S.A.B. de C.V. for roughly $690 million in cash.

Office Depot de Mexico, which was founded in 1994 as a joint partnership between Office Depot and Grupo Gigante, has more than 248 stores throughout Mexico and Central America and more than $1.1 billion in annual sales.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Chico FAS's comparable sales for the first quarter ended May 4 were flat compared to a nearly 10% increase in last year's first quarter, thanks to an unusually cool spring and the cycling of strong comparable sales last year.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has appointed Dan Bartlett, former senior counselor to George W. Bush, as its EVP of corporate affairs. Bartlett was most recently president and CEO of the U.S. arm of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, a global business advisory firm serving corporations, nonprofits and associations in 52 countries.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Chico's FAS, a women's specialty retailer of private-branded apparel, intimates and accessories, has appointed McDonald’s executive Janice L. Fields to its board of directors.

Her appointment brings the total number of board seats to nine. Fields was also appointed to the board's corporate governance and nominating committee.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer and its customers helped to raise more than $500,000 for food pantries throughout the Midwest. Customers donated $184,230 during the retailer’s Simply Give Double Match Days. Meijer double matched all donations made from April 12-13, bringing the total donation amount to $552,690. 

Dick's Sporting Goods has named former ConAgra executive Andre J. Hawaux as its new EVP of finance and administration and CFO. Hawaux will oversee Finance, Legal, Strategic Planning and Risk and Compliance. He succeeds Timothy Kullman, who is retiring, in June.

Hawaux has more than 30 years of experience, most recently as president of consumer foods at ConAgra, one of North America's leading packaged food companies. Previously, he served as ConAgra Foods' EVP and CFO and was responsible for the company's finance and information system and services organizations.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark announced that it was among several national companies represented at an event hosted on Tuesday by President Obama, VP Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden as part of the Joining Forces initiative.
 
During the event, the administration asked companies participating in the Joining Forces initiative to hire and train 435,000 veterans and military spouses over the next five years, after nearly tripling its original goal of hiring 100,000 veterans and military spouses by the end of 2013.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Big Lots has named David Campisi as its new CEO and president. Campisi succeeds Steve Fishman, who announced in December 2012 his intention to retire upon the appointment of his successor. 

Fishman will also step down from the board of directors immediately following the 2013 annual meeting of shareholders on May 30, at which time Campisi will be appointed as a director. The board also plans to elect a non-executive chairman of the board.

The Senate has voted unanimously to confirm former Walmart Foundation President Sylvia Mathews Burwell as White House budget director, according to a Reuters report.
The report went on to state that the 96-0 vote marks the first time the White House has had a fully confirmed budget director since January 2012, when Jack Lew, now Treasury Secretary, left the position to become Obama's chief of staff.