Content about Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange

MINNEAPOLIS — Colder weather and more conservative shoppers contributed to a drop in Target Corp.'s first-quarter 2013 profits, but the company's underlying business remains healthy, executives said Wednesday morning in a conference call with investors.

"While we are not satisfied with this quarter's performance, we remain highly confident in our strategy," president, chairman and CEO Gregg Steinhafel said during the call.

LAS VEGAS — Empowered Products Inc. announced today The Kroger Co. has placed its first batch of orders for Empowered Products' Pink line of personal lubricants for five of Kroger's distribution centers across the United States.

Kroger, the largest grocery store chain in the U.S., will now offer Pink Silicone and Pink Water at approximately 1,400 retail locations across the United States.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — The deal that paired Walgreens and Alliance Boots with wholesaler AmerisourceBergen has received the required regulatory clearances, the companies announced Friday. 

The regulatory clearances permit both Walgreens and Alliance Boots the purchase of up to 7% of the fully diluted equity of AmerisourceBergen in the open market, and the exercise of two warrants for 16% in the aggregate of the fully diluted equity of AmerisourceBergen in 2016 and 2017. 

CINCINNATI — Kroger on Tuesday announced two finance executive promotions that will be effective with their elections by Kroger's board of directors expected on June 27. Scott Henderson has been named VP pension investment and strategy and Todd Foley has been named VP and treasurer. 

Henderson, 57, currently serves as Kroger's VP and treasurer, a position he has held since 2003. He will lead a new team that is responsible for overseeing nearly $12 billion of assets.

Rite Aid announced Wednesday that it has converted nearly all its stores in the Buffalo, N.Y., area to the Wellness store format, breaking the news with an event in the nearby village of Williamsville that included president, chairman and CEO John Standley, COO Ken Martindale and fitness expert Denise Austin.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is sending out a customized 38-ft. van to 50 stores around the country as part of a campaign to promote skin care.

The retail pharmacy chain announced Monday the start of the Road to Healthy Skin Tour, which it is sponsoring on behalf of the Skin Cancer Foundation to coincide with Skin Cancer Awareness Month. The tour is in its sixth year and will visit Rite Aid stores in the Northeast, Midwest, South and West.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid's same-store sales decreased 4% in April compared with April 2012 due to an earlier Easter and introductions of new generic drugs, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

The numbers released Thursday included a 3.5% decrease in sales on the front end and a 4.2% decrease in pharmacy sales, but the pharmacy figure included a 4.54% negative effect due to new generics. Same-store prescription count decreased by 0.2%.

Total sales for the month were $1.902 billion, a 4.6% decrease over April 2012's $1.993 billion.

NEW YORK — A proposal by Canadian drug maker Valeant Pharmaceuticals International to purchase generic drug maker Actavis has fallen through, according to published reports.

According to reports, Valeant was planning to pay more than $13 billion in stock to acquire Actavis, but the deal was put on hold because the companies could not agree to terms of the deal. The deal would create a company worth about $35 billion.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target will feature electronics picked by the editors of Wired magazine, under a deal between the two announced Monday.

Target said the custom-curated assortment of products would include four products available for the first time at Target, including personal fitness, photography, digital music streaming and others.

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — AmerisourceBergen's base of 3,452 independently owned Good Neighbor Pharmacies will be another benefactor out of the wholesaler's blockbuster agreement with Walgreens and Alliance Boots, AmerisourceBergen CEO, president, director and chairman Steven Collis told analysts during a conference call Thursday.

FORT WORTH, Texas — RadioShack Corp. has ended its mobile phone partnership with Target Corp. amid slumping sales, the electronics store chain said Tuesday.

RadioShack said it had stopped operating its Target Mobile centers before the end of last month. The company had operated mobile phone kiosks inside Target stores. The company posted first quarter 2013 quarter sales of $849 million and a loss of $43 million, compared with $913 million last year and a loss of $8 million.