Content about Top Stories

WASHINGTON — Sam's Club has pledged more than $2 million in donations to nonprofits supporting small business growth. The announcement was made by Sam's Club president and CEO Rosalind Brewer.

NEW YORK — Walmart topped the list of retailers on the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands, according to a study commissioned by WPP Group and conducted by Millward Brown Optimor.

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study identifies and ranks the world's most valuable 100 brands by their dollar value, an analysis based on financial data combined with consumer measures of brand equity.

WHITING, Ind. — Smartphones and couponing go hand in hand, according to a new CouponCabin.com survey.

PORTLAND, Ore., and SEATTLE — Safeway has launched an online and mobile shopping tool that is designed to give customers an easier way to save on groceries.

Just for U, launched in the chain's Oregon and Washington divisions, delivers targeted savings directly to a customer's Safeway club card. Deals are offered on items a shopper most frequently buys, as well as items they might be interested in — providing savings of up to 10% to 20% more than by using a Safeway club card alone, Safeway said.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target has announced its plans to open new Target Clinic locations at four Target stores in northern Virginia and four Target stores in North Carolina, marking the first Target Clinics to open in these states.

The new clinics currently are under construction and will open on July 29.

CHICAGO — Concern over rising fuel prices has eclipsed unemployment — the leading worry since 2009 — as the No. 1 factor that keeps retailers up at night, according to a study released by BDO USA on Monday, though the current uptick in consumer spending somewhat alleviates that concern. "Despite a dip in April, consumer spending has been improving, and retail executives feel that their strategy adjustments are on point," stated Doug Hart, partner in the Retail and Consumer Products Practice at BDO USA.

MINNEAPOLIS — The president of Shoppers Food and Pharmacy will transition to a new role, parent company Supervalu announced Tuesday.

NEW YORK — Consumers gravitate toward traditional pharmacies for their everyday health-and-wellness needs, according to the "2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend" survey released Monday. Among retail pharmacy operations, Walgreens enjoyed the greatest brand equity among consumers based on top consumer scores in "familiarity" and "purchase consideration" categories. Overall, Walgreens' brand equity was tabulated at 69.9, CVS/pharmacy came in at 67.4 and Rite Aid 62.5.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Monday launched its national Retail Employees with Disabilities Initiative, an in-store training program designed to help people with disabilities gain retail and customer service skills, that works closely with community organizations and vocational rehabilitation agencies to train and develop candidates.

Another similar initiative at Walgreens distribution centers resulted in 10% of the workforce being made up of people with disabilities at all levels across all 20 DCs. The company hopes to see the same success with REDI.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy is taking a greater step toward targeting the Hispanic market with the launch of its new Spanish-language website.

Like the English-language site, the Spanish version, located at http://es.cvs.com, enables shoppers to manage their prescription account, get health information, purchase products and access coupons. According to a MediaPost article, Google indicated that the new CVS Spanish website consists of 67,000 pages, most of which are product SKUs.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — MinuteClinic announced on Thursday the debut of two walk-in medical clinics inside CVS/pharmacy stores located in San Antonio.

The retail clinic operator, which opened its doors in the Lone Star state in 2006, now operates 45 clinics inside select CVS/pharmacy stores in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio markets. In addition to the two clinics, a third is slated to open later this year.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — More retail websites this year achieved a "threshold for excellence" on customer experience analytics firm ForeSee's annual Top 100 E-Retail Satisfaction Index.

ForeSee reported that 36-out-of-100 online retailers achieved a satisfaction score of 80 or higher, compared with 28-out-of-100 websites that received the distinction last year. Although Amazon.com topped the list with a 2012 satisfaction score of 89 — up three points from 2011 — many other retailers, particularly retail pharmacies and grocery retailers, earned a high score: