BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Wal-Mart Stores here last week said it has created a new position at the company to oversee compliance with U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, following allegations in an extensive New York Times article that the company breached the law during its rapid expansion in Mexico several years ago.

The FCPA prohibits bribes of foreign officials, among other practices.

Eduardo Castro-Wright, who led Wal-Mart’s Mexico operations until early 2005 and later ran the company’s U.S. division, was the “driving force” behind “years of bribery” in which more than $24 million was paid to local officials in Mexico, the article claimed.

In a series of responses, Wal-Mart said it was “deeply concerned” about the allegations and that it had launched an investigation.

“We take compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act very seriously and are committed to having a strong and effective global anti-corruption program in every country in which we operate,” said David Tovar, vice president of corporate communications, Wal-Mart, in a statement provided to SN. “We will not tolerate noncompliance with FCPA anywhere or at any level of the company.

“Many of the alleged activities in The New York Times article are more than six years old. If these allegations are true, it is not a reflection of who we are or what we stand for.”

Wal-Mart had yet to name someone to fill the new global FCPA compliance officer position as of late last week. The person will have responsibility for compliance with the FCPA in all of Wal-Mart’s markets around the world and will oversee five FCPA compliance directors based in the international markets.

The company warned about an internal investigation into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in a quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Dec. 8, 2011, but did not specify what countries it was investigating.

Reports last week indicated that the investigations could involve some of the Wal-Mart executives who were in place at that time (before 2005). Some of the other executives cited in the Wal-Mart article as being aware of the practices in Mexico included Craig Herkert, who was chief executive officer of Wal-Mart in Latin America and is currently CEO of Supervalu; Michael Duke, who was CEO of Walmart International and is currently CEO of Wal-Mart Stores; and H. Lee Scott, who was CEO at the time and remains on the company’s board.

ALBANY, NY--The New York State Association of Black & Puerto Rican Legislators honored Rodolfo Fuertes with the Louis Nine Award for his contributions to the advancement of the Latino community in the United States. A prominent entrepreneur and leader in the supermarket industry, Fuertes is a board member of the National Supermarket Association.

This award is presented to one who labors vigorously for expanded opportunities for Hispanics. This individual has upheld the dignity and has furthered the culture of Americans of Hispanic Heritage by promoting bilingual and multicultural programs as well as facilitating the greater integration of Hispanics into the mainstream of American society.

Senator Adriano Espaillat presented the award to Fuertes in February during the 2012 Annual Legislative Conference Weekend in Albany, NY. The theme of the conference was “Open Doors to Empowerment.”

“I am truly honored and humbled to receive this award on behalf of the many immigrants who come to this country to pursue a dream, work hard and open doors for those who come behind. The Latino community is a major force in this country, and as a Dominican I feel especially proud to represent my people with this recognition”, said Fuertes after receiving the award.

The Members of the NYS Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators, Inc., are united by a common interest in empowering and revitalizing peoples and communities, particularly African-American and Puerto Rican, and extended to also include Hispanic-Americans, Asian-Americans and other minorities.

More than 98% of the ethnocentric supermarkets in the United States cater to either Hispanic consumers or Asian consumers, and both populations have grown more than 40% during the last 10 years, according to a new research report from IBISWorld. The research firm’s 2011 Ethnic Supermarket Industry Report pegs the value in dollar volume of ethnic supermarkets at about $26 billion, up an average of 2.1% a year during the last five years. That pace is seen accelerating to 3.7% annually during the next five years, reaching $31.2 billion in projected volume by 2016. The number of ethnic supermarket store locations is projected to grow to 25,012 in 2016, up from 21,393 in 2011, the report stated. “At the same time, the expanding ethnic population is pushing non-industry supermarkets to increase their product offerings, which has intensified competition for the industry’s operators,” said Nikoleta Panteva, IBISWorld senior industry analyst.

Source: IBISWorld Ethnic Supermarkets Industry Report (IBISWorld.com)