Southern California

CVS could face as much as $29 million in fines for allegedly losing track of prescription painkillers at four of its California stores, from which authorities said thousands of pills may have been sold on the black market. Officials at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the California Board of Pharmacy said Monday that more than 37,000 pills were apparently taken from CVS stores. Meanwhile, CVS pharmacists in Southern California said they've been instructed by the drugstore chain to get their paperwork in order so that no other prescription meds are found to be missing.

With the arctic chill sending the nation indoors or, for many, stuck in an interminable layover, how can e-tailers give captive consumers not only what they want, but desperately need through hyperlocal strategies? Hyperlocal is all about understanding consumers’ current location and immediate world/weather around them. With many battling record low temperatures this winter, e-tailers can target geographies and tailor their visitors’ inventory. Kicking off campaigns in real time or even a few days prior delivers a personalized experience, highlighting merchandise related to that specific climate. So how can retailers exercise these strategies, anticipatory or in real time, to make their campaigns relevant?

Google must be seeing some success from its same-day delivery service because it's announced it will be expanding the service to the Southland. Right now, the trial run service will only be available for several hundred Google employees in Santa Monica, though should the company see success with this expansion, it could eventually be opened to the general public. Indeed, when Google launched its Shopping Express pilot in March 2013, it was only available for Google employees in Northern California. However, since September, the service has been available to all customers in San Francisco and San Jose.

Japanese retailer Uniqlo will open 10 new U.S. stores over the next two months in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Northern California, and wants to expand with 20 more in 2014. But first, it needs to figure out Los Angeles. "Southern California is a very important market to us, and it's a priority market to us," said the company's COO. "We will think through the specific strategy for L.A., but right now, we're studying it. Do we open multiple stores right away versus have a flagship and wait a year to open up the suburban areas?"

Philadelphia – The Pep Boys - Manny, Moe & Jack has acquired 17 Discount Tire Centers in Southern California from AKH Co. These 17 stores are located throughout the greater Los Angeles...