Top Retailers

CINCINNATI — Kroger on Tuesday announced it has committed $3 million in donations for local breast cancer initiatives across the country to support National Breast Cancer Awareness month in October. 

This will be the seventh year since Kroger began the Giving Hope a Hand initiative. By the end of 2013, Kroger will have donated more than $24 million to support breast cancer research, education and services since 2006, the grocer reported.

Walgreens Healthcare Clinic (formerly known as Take Care Clinic) has formed a multi-year agreement with healthcare technology company Inovalon to provide Inovalon’s data-driven encounter support platform, Electronic Patient Assessment Solution Suite (ePASS), within Healthcare Clinic at select Walgreens.

CHICAGO — The majority of manufacturer engagements are not aligned with retailers’ core strategic goals, and do not create real value in the eyes of the retailer. Today’s winning companies are able to identify and leverage the unique hidden assets of their brands, and build a business around agile, transparent, retailer/manufacturer collaboration — experts call it “co-creation.”

Rite Aid reported its second quarter 2014 earnings Thursday, posting its fourth-consecutive profitable quarter, its passing the 1,000 mark in the number of stores it has converted to the Wellness format and more than 930,000 members of Wellness65+, the latest extension to its Wellness+ loyalty care program, aimed at seniors.

CHICAGO — Call it the Academy Awards of the shopper marketing business.

The Shopper Marketing Expo, scheduled for Oct. 8-10, here, at the Navy Pier, will once again host the Path to Purchase Institute’s annual Design of the Times merchandising display competition.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is applauding the retailers that have joined and returned to its annual campaign to raise money for children's cancer research.

DSNTV recently interviewed Walgreens DVP of category strategy, innovation and space management Beth Stiller at the company's Bucktown/Wicker Park flagship store in Chicago for a Virtual Store Tour segment focused on Walgreens’ key strategy in such core categories as health and beauty, and how it plays out in its flagship stores.

NEW YORK — Rite Aid board member Michel Coutu has resigned, effective Wednesday, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Coutu's notification follows an announcement by The Jean Coutu Group Tuesday that it had sold 72.5 million Rite Aid shares, reducing its stake in the company to 11.7%.

In addition, board member and former chairman Mary Sammons notified the company Wednesday that she wouldn't seek reelection as a director at its annual shareholder meeting.