Finance & Capital Management

Colorado Springs, Colo. -- Accellos and HighJump Software, each global providers of supply chain management software and trading partner network technology, have agreed to merge, creating a vendor with 11,000 customers in 23 countries with operations in North America, Asia and Europe. The combination of Accellos and HighJump brings together a set of technologies, including networked trading partner connectivity, warehouse management, transportation management, and route delivery.

Dublin, Calif. – Ross Dress for Less will open one new store in Las Vegas and two new stores in Florida on July 19. The new stores are part of the retailer’s 2014 expansion program, totaling approximately 75 new locations during the year.

The Florida stores will be located in Pier Park North in Panama City Beach and Royal Gardens Plaza in Hialeah Garden. They will give Ross a total of 140 stores in Florida.

Brooklyn, N.Y. - In partnership with its largest rug supplier, Raj Overseas, West Elm has established a fair trade certified factory for handcrafted rugs in India. Fair trade certification ensures that the rugs are made in safe working conditions and that workers are justly compensated, delivering a premium back to the worker to invest in causes of their choice.

New York – In a regulatory filing, PetSmart disclosed that its board of directors is considering changes to the company’s capital structure in order to return more capital to shareholders. The disclosure follows a July 3 announcement by activist investor Jana Partners that it holds a 9.9% stake in PetSmart and plans to ask the retailer to explore various options, including a sale.

Dublin, Calif. -- Ross Dress for Less will open three new stores in Indiana on July 19. The stores include Waterford Park South Shopping Center in Clarksville, Shops on Main in Schererville, and Erskine Village in South Bend. 

These new openings are part of the retailer’s 2014 expansion program, totaling approximately 75 new locations during the year. 
 

EnTouch Controls, a provider of cloud-based energy management services, is embarking on an aggressive growth strategy and to that end has appointed William Rickman as its new director of national accounts.

Rickman has more than a decade of experience of selling cloud-based financial services and fraud prevention solutions to the restaurant and retail markets.

Bed Bath & Beyond plans to spend nearly $3 billion buying back its own stock during the next two years after weak results earlier this year prompted a sell-off in the company’s shares.

Off-price department store retailer Gordmans Stores is still without a full-time CEO, but the retailer did just fill two key marketing and e-commerce positions.

The Omaha-based apparel and home decor retailer named Amy Starr Myers to the role of SVP of marketing and Stacey Townsend was named vp and general manager of e-commerce to launch Gordman’s online sales effort.

Sears Holdings has named Kristin M. Coleman as SVP, general counsel and corporate secretary. Coleman most recently served as Brunswick Corporation's VP, general counsel and corporate secretary.