Top Retailers

NEW YORK — A joint conference by the National Association of Specialty Pharmacy and the Association of Managed Care Pharmacy attracted hundreds of leaders from across the specialty pharmacy industry.

PLEASANTON, Calif. — Blackhawk Network Holdings on Monday announced its intent to open its initial public offering of 10 million shares at an estimated offering price of $20 to $22 per share. The IPO will consist solely of shares to be offered by existing stockholders, including Safeway, and could raise as much as $220 million. 

NEW YORK — Costco Wholesale appears to be eyeing China's online commerce market, according to published reports.

The Southern Metropolis Daily, a newspaper based in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, reported Thursday that the Issaquah, Wash.-based club retailer was interested in entering the country's e-commerce market and was in the process of looking for local partners.

SAN FRANCISCO — ECOtality and Kroger on Monday announced an expanded partnership that includes the installation of more than 200 level-2 (quick-charge) charging stations, and 25 DC Fast Chargers, to be installed across key markets through the EV Project. This multimillion dollar expansion will bring the total number of Blink chargers at the Kroger Family of Stores to almost 300.

Empty shelves at Walmart are getting a lot of attention these days, but the situation isn’t new and can’t be blamed entirely on store staffing levels.

BEAVERTON, Ore. — Starting this month, the more than 8.6 million readers of Costco Wholesale's member magazine will be able to use smartphones and tablets to scan more than 50 digital watermarks included in articles and ads.

ST. LOUIS — More than 90 runners signed on to join Team Walgreens/Team Tori last month at the 2013 St. Louis Undy 5000 in support of 24-year old Tori Riley. The team raised more than $1,000 in support, half contributed to the Colon Cancer Alliance and the other half to Team Tori, through T-shirt sales, raffles for Walgreens beauty bags and silent auctions that included St. Louis Cardinals tickets, among other items.

Geoscape issued a report projecting the future buying power of both Asian and Hispanic households, respectively. Both groups will spend far more in their remaining lifetimes than white non-Hispanic households. 

This report should serve as a wake up call that multicultural marketing efforts that appeal to the diversity of a shopper base are not just innovative strategies — they're also essential.