Top Retailers

WASHINGTON — A call to make 2014 a year of action and for the government to work on behalf of Americans was the underlying theme of President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday evening.

During his remarks, Obama touched upon a string of topics ranging from immigration reform, to education, to job creation. He also called for the raising of minimum wage and urged businesses to do what they can to raise employees’ wages, citing Costco as an example.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid on Tuesday announced that associates in its corporate offices located throughout the greater Harrisburg area raised $613,555 during its 2013 fundraising campaign for the United Way of the Capital Region. Rite Aid has raised more than $6.4 million for the United Way of the Capital Region since it began holding a corporate campaign in 2002. 

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO — Target plans to carry on its Canadian expansion this year with nine additional stores, the majority of which will open in Ontario, although the retailer plans to open single stores in Quebec, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia.

NEW YORK — Tough comparisons against a robust flu season last year and the continued lackluster economy may put a chill in pharmacy comps for the month of January, wrote Credit Suisse research analyst Ed Kelly in a note published Wednesday. 

ATLANTA — Stranded Atlantans found shelter from a snow storm, making a local CVS/pharmacy their home for the night, according to a report in Gawker.

As much as four inches of snow blanketed parts of the South, leaving gridlocked roadways and canceled flights in its wake, and throwing Georgia in a state of emergency.

MINNEAPOLIS — Fiber One wants to help consumers stick to their New Year's goals with the introduction of a new cereal, the company said.

Fiber One launched Fiber One Protein, a granola cereal that's available in two flavors — Maple Brown Sugar and Cranberry Almond. Each serving of Fiber One Protein delivers 10g of protein when served with milk, as well as 20% of daily value of fiber.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — The Walmart Foundation, Goodwill Industries International, National Disability Institute and United Way on Monday launched the 2014 MyFreeTaxes program, an initiative offering free online federal and state tax preparation in all 50 states. MyFreeTaxes provides free federal and state tax preparation and filing assistance, both online and in-person, to eligible households earning $58,000 or less a year. 

IRVINE, Calif. — Merchandise returns in 2013 cost retailers in the United States more than $267 billion in lost sales. That’s one of the findings contained in the Retail Equation’s "2013 Consumer Returns in the Retail Industry" study, which analyzes results from the National Retail Federation’s annual survey on merchandise returns and the "2012 Canadian Retail Security Survey" from the Retail Council of Canada National Retail Federation.