WOONSOCKET

Summer Infant may face class-action suit

Woonsocket-based Summer Infant Inc. has been hit with a potential class-action lawsuit, the consumer goods maker disclosed Friday in a federal regulatory filing.

The complaint filed with the Circuit Court for Cook County, Ill., alleges that Summer Infant failed to properly warn consumers that signals from its video monitors could be viewed outside the consumer’s home.

Summer Infant (SUMR:NASDAQ) designs and sells juvenile health, safety and wellness products to U.S. retailers. On Monday, the company reported net revenues for the third quarter of 2009 were $41 million, a 15-percent increase from $35.6 million in the third quarter of 2008. The revenue increase was driven in part, the company said, by strength in several key categories, including nursery, bath and monitors.

The company said it intends to vigorously defend itself against the complaint, according to the filing Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Paul Grimaldi

CVS names chief financial officer

CVS Caremark (CVS:NYSE) said Thursday that it has appointed David M. Denton as its new chief financial officer, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

Denton will replace David Rickard, who is retiring at the end of 2009. Currently, Denton is a senior vice president and controller at Woonsocket-based CVS.

Also this week, CVS named Len Greer as a senior vice president in charge of marketing for its pharmacy-benefit management division.

Paul Grimaldi

PAWTUCKET

Hasbro taps veteran TV producer

Hasbro Inc., (HAS: NYSE) has named television veteran Kathy Samuels as executive producer of the toymaker’s new Hasbro Studios unit in Los Angeles.

Samuels worked for both the CBS and NBC television networks, taking part in the development and programming for such shows as “Rachael Ray,” “Entertainment Tonight” and “Access Hollywood.”

Paul Grimaldi

SOUTH KINGSTOWN

URI forum on Nobel-winning economists

The University of Rhode Island will hold a public forum to discuss the work of two winners of the Nobel Prize in Economics on Thursday, Nov. 19, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., in the Weaver Auditorium at the Coastal Institute, 1 Greenhouse Rd.

The speakers will be Matthew Bodah, URI associate professor of labor relations, and Hirotsugu Uchida, assistant professor of environmental and resource economics. They will discuss Elinor Ostrom’s analysis of how common property is managed by user associations and Oliver Williamson’s analysis of firms as structures of governance. They were the 2009 winners of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. For more information, call 874-9195.

Journal staff

NATION

N.H. group offers discount lift tickets

A New Hampshire ski association is offering discount lift-ticket packages for the coming 2009-2010 ski season.

Ticket prices offered through Ski New Hampshire, a statewide association representing 36 winter resorts and more than 200 lodging properties, range from $25 to $60 per ticket. There is a minimum purchase of 12 lift tickets. For more information visit www.SkiNH.com or call 1-800-887-5464.

Paul Grimaldi

A warning about health and beauty products

The National Retail Federation warned consumers this week about buying certain health and beauty products, as well as certain foods through online auction sites, because of suspected health hazards associated with improper storage.

The federation first issued warnings in 2008 about items such as baby formula, Benadryl and pregnancy tests available on online auction sites.

It’s produced a new Buyer Beware list, adding warnings about such popular diet aids as Alli and hair-care product Pureology.

The list can be found on the federation’s Web site www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=816

Commodities

Dollar: In trading against major currencies yesterday in New York, the dollar ended at 89.93 Japanese yen, from Thursday’s close of 90.78 yen. The euro closed at 3:30 p.m. at $1.4835, from $1.4868.

Metals: Gold for current delivery closed at $1095.10 a troy ounce on the New York Mercantile Exchange, from Thursday’s close of $1088.70. Silver closed at $17.365 an ounce, from $17.400.

Fuels: December light, sweet crude oil fell $2.19 cents to $77.43 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. December heating oil fell 5.41 cents to $2.0035 a gallon.

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