Latest Retail Headlines

All the headlines from our Retail Topic Page, ordered by recency.

M&A Activity Continues at a Snail’s Pace Compared to 2008

Aug 3 2009 // Insurance brokerage mergers and acquisitions in the second quarter of 2009 was nearly half of what is was during the second quarter of 2008. Just 39 transactions were announced from April through June compared to last year...

Willis Forms ‘Strategic Alliance’ with British Retail Consortium for Insurance

Jun 26 2009 // The British Retail Consortium (BRC), the leading trade organization for UK retailers, and Willis Limited, the UK arm of Willis Group Holdings, jointly announced the formation of a “strategic alliance that offers a...

Wal-Mart Pays $2M to Avoid Charges in New York Death Probe

May 11 2009 // Wal-Mart agreed Wednesday to pay nearly $2 million and improve safety at its 92 New York stores as part of a deal with prosecutors that avoids criminal charges in the trampling death of a temporary worker last year.Nassau...

Kin of Wal-Mart Stampede Victim to Sue New York County

Feb 24 2009 // Relatives of a worker trampled to death in a crush of post-Thanksgiving bargain-hunters at a New York Wal-Mart have filed court papers indicating they intend to sue Nassau County and its police department. A notice of...

Start-Up Stories: How New Agencies Are Competing

Feb 8 2009 // The independent insurance agency system is enjoying a resurgence. For years, the number of agencies in the country had been declining but that trend, while not reversed, has been halted. The number in 2008 was 37,500...

Fireman’s Fund Insures Payment Card Security Breach for Retail Stores

Jan 6 2009 // Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co. is introducing the first coverage for retailers that experience a breach of their payment card security system.According to the insurer, a single breach of a payment card security system...

Retail, Wholesale Insurance Brokers Working on Electronic Transactions

Dec 19 2008 // Retail insurance agents and wholesale brokers are working on a plan to streamline how they do business together including improving electronic applications, electronic interfaces between the parties, and general agent Web...

Idaho Man Sues Weapon Makers, Wal-Mart Over Injury

Oct 27 2008 // A Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, man who said his hand was permanently injured when his gun exploded is suing a rifle-making company, a bullet manufacturer and Wal-Mart. James Monette filed the lawsuit against rifle-maker...

Arkansas AG Subpoenas Gas Retailers for Ike-Related Price Spikes

Sep 18 2008 // Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel has begun issuing subpoenas over spikes in fuel prices at 52 gas stations around the state as Hurricane Ike approached the Texas coast.McDaniel said more than 1,450 people phoned...

Wholesaler Value is a Story That Needs to Be Told

Sep 1 2008 // There is an old saying in the insurance industry that goes something like this: “Please, God, give me one more hard market and I won’t let it slip away.”Of course, in today’s soft market, few of us...

California Appeals Court: Retailers Must Provide Disabled Access

Aug 6 2008 // The Court of Appeal of California has ruled that a retailer must remove architectural barriers that prohibit disabled individuals from accessing merchandise, or must adopt alternative methods for making its merchandise...

Reducing the Risk in Florida Surplus Lines

Aug 4 2008 // Like trapeze artists performing without a net, surplus lines specialists operate without the backing of the state guaranty fund, which picks up the pieces for insureds if their admitted insurer goes belly-up.But some think...

What Retail Agents Need to Know to Access Florida Surplus Lines

Aug 4 2008 // Gary Pullen, executive director, and the staff of the Florida Surplus Line Service Office supplied answers to 10 + 1 questions posed by Insurance Journal.1. Can a Florida licensed retail or producing agent also be licensed...

Match-making: What Retail Agents Want From Wholesalers and MGAs

May 5 2008 // Like the love-lorn users of match.com, independent agents hunting for business partners among surplus lines wholesalers and managing general agents are thinking long-term, not short.They are looking for partners who will...

Contractors and Certificates of Liability Insurance

Apr 21 2008 // Certificates — not again. Haven’t we heard enough about this topic?Apparently not. Certificates are issued for all sorts of insureds, but contracting risk is the most dangerous of them all. Why does the contractor...

Workers’ Comp Dividend Earned by Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Group

Dec 21 2007 // Texas Mutual Insurance Company announced a $129,320 dividend to the Texas Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association (TPCA) workers’ compensation purchasing group today. The group’s first dividend...

The CHANGING FACE of Surplus Lines Brokers

Sep 24 2007 // The surplus lines industry is never boring, never plain and certainly never black and white. Often dubbed as the innovator of new insurance products, the industry could even be considered colorful when it comes to the...

Wal-Mart: Tests Show Traces of Melamine in Dog Treats

Aug 23 2007 // Tests of two Chinese brands of dog treats sold at Wal-Mart stores found traces of melamine, a chemical agent that led to another massive pet food recall in March, a spokeswoman said Aug. 21.Wal-Mart quietly stopped selling...

Wal-Mart Quietly Pulled Dog Treats But Didn’t Issue Recall

Aug 22 2007 // Wal-Mart Stores Inc. quietly stopped selling two brands of dog treats in July, after customers voiced concerns that the Chinese products may have caused their pets to fall ill, but no recall has been announced, a company...

Pharmacist Wins $2 Million in Bias Suit Against Wal-Mart in Mass.

Jun 21 2007 // A former Wal-Mart pharmacist who claimed she was fired after asking to be paid the same as her male colleagues won a nearly $2 million award against the retail giant this week in Massachusetts.A Berkshire Superior Court...