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Retail News Breaks Archives Walmart executive vice president and chief merchandising officer John Fleming is leaving the company. Target Corp. is set to open its first store in Manhattan later this month. After building a 9.5% stake in BJ's Wholesale Club Inc., the private equity firm Leonard Green & Partners LP is considering making an offer to take the wholesale club operator private. The Chicago City Council has unanimously approved a zoning change that will allow Walmart to build its second store within the city and perhaps many more to follow. A recent survey conducted by L.E.K. Consulting shows that the general population in the United States remains dubious about the economic recovery, with only 12% expecting their personal finances to improve by this fall. As part of a rebuilt private-label program, Rite Aid Corp. is introducing a new "price fighter" private brand called Simplify in its nearly 4,800 stores nationwide. Albertsons, a division of Supervalu Inc., is installing rooftop solar power systems at three of its supermarkets as part of an effort to support clean energy and cut utility costs. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had been on the rise for three consecutive months, declined sharply in June. Shopko has appointed two divisional vice presidents/divisional merchandise managers. John Bulgarella will oversee the hard home segment and Ann Kasper women's apparel. Walmart has reshuffled its top executive ranks, naming vice chairman Eduardo Castro-Wright president and chief executive officer of global.com and global sourcing, while Bill Simon, who had been executive vice president and chief operating officer of Walmart U.S., has been promoted to president and CEO of Walmart U.S. Private label saw robust gains across all major U.S. retail channels last year as consumers increasingly switched from national brands and drove store brands to all-time highs in volume, total revenue and market share, according to the latest industry statistics published in the Private Label Manufacturers Association's 2010 Private Label Yearbook. The National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) are applauding House and Senate lawmakers for reaching a compromise on regulating debit card interchange fees, also known as "swipe" fees, as part of financial services reform legislation.
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