Top Retailers

TAMPA, Fla. — Not Your Mother’s hair care is starting off the year with a bang as it adds more than 10,000 new U.S. retail locations and nearly doubles its SKU count for 2014.

The brand has expanded from approximately 15,000 U.S. retail locations to more than 25,000 in the first quarter of 2014.   

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club has named David Badeen VP health care. Badeen will be responsible for pharmacy, OTC, optical and hearing centers, as well as third party contracting and pricing. In this new role, he will report directly to Jill Turner-Mitchael, SVP health and wellness.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic has announced that it is switching from its own proprietary electronic medical record solution to Epic’s EpicCare system.

"EpicCare's rich platform will allow us to continue to provide the highest quality of care and advance our services through a robust, world class EMR," said Andrew Sussman, president of MinuteClinic and SVP/associate chief medical officer of CVS Caremark.

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions and Walgreens earlier this week teamed up to tackle the flu in Detroit Public Schools. On Feb. 25 Walgreens, the official health and wellness partner of the Detroit Lions, will give Detroit Lions Academy students flu immunizations.

Students who choose to get flu immunizations will have the opportunity to participate in a Playworks recess session that includes special guest Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell.

Families — parents and siblings — of students are also welcome to receive complimentary flu immunizations.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. —  Walmart knew fourth quarter results and its outlook would be weak so it gave investors Thursday morning something more substantial to digest by announcing plans to double the number of small format stores it will open this year and an increased omnichannel focus.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Fresh and pharmacy is the key to smaller-box retailing, Walmart reported Thursday as it announced plans to increase its capital investment in smaller formats from 120 to 150 new stores for the fiscal year to between 270 and 300.  

NEW YORK — Bloomberg on Thursday lined up the potential suitors in discussion with Safeway on a sale of the grocer, citing people with knowledge of the matter. 

Firms CVC Capital Partners and Leonard Green & Partners are among the the interested parties, as is Cerberus Capital Management. 

KKR & Co. bought Safeway in 1986 for about $4.3 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The retailer went public in 1990.

LONDON —The Hertz Corp. and Costco in the U.K. have teamed up to bring short-term Hertz 24/7 van rental to Costco's members.