Finance & Capital Management

Deerfield, Ill. - Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. has named Marco Pagni, formerly group legal counsel and chief administrative officer of Alliance Boots, as executive VP and global chief legal and administrative officer. In this role, Pagni will oversee all global legal affairs for Walgreens Boots Alliance and its divisions, including strategy and mergers and acquisitions, working with acting CEO Stefano Pessina.

The TJX Companies announced that William H. Swanson has been elected to its board of directors.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. –  As part of a 2014 announcement in which Sears Holdings Corp. said it had entered into lease agreements with European fashion retailer Primark for seven standalone stores in the Northeastern United States, the retailer said that two of these seven locations will be at Danbury Fair in Danbury, Connecticut; and Freehold Raceway Mall in Freehold, New Jersey.  

Target may not have been very successful in Canada, but the retailer has an altogether different strategy for the United States, where it will open 15 stores in 2015.

Target says it plans to open more small store formats than suburban big box stores this year.

The Minneapolis-based retailer will bring its smallest store, TargetExpress, which at 20,000 square feet is about a sixth of the size of its traditional big box stores, to two more metropolitan areas this year with one store slated for Chicago and two for the Washington, D.C., area.

Vancouver – Dennis “Chip” Wilson, founder of Lululemon Athletica inc. is stepping down from Lululemon's board of directors. Wilson, who founded Lululemon in 1998, led the company through many business cycles as he expanded it from a small storefront in Vancouver to an international brand with over 250 stores.

Stanley Black & Decker and Newell Rubbermaid reported modest but steady growth in the fourth quarter, results that position both companies on solid ground going forward.

At Stanley Black and Decker, net sales for the fourth quarter came in at $2.98 billion, up from $2.88 billion in the fourth quarter of 2013. This was mainly due to increases in volume and price, but partially offset by currency. In terms of net income, the company pulled in $145.8 million, up considerably from last year's $56.1 million.

Framingham, Mass. – The TJX Companies Inc. has named William H. Swanson to the board of directors. Swanson, 65, is the former chairman and CEO of Raytheon Co., a technology and innovation company specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world.

Ann Arbor, Mich. - RPM Pizza LLC, the largest U.S. Domino's franchise, is getting a little bigger. RPM has acquired 45 Domino's stores throughout Indiana. RPM Pizza, headquartered in Gulfport, Mississippi, will purchase 45 stores in Indiana in the biggest franchise-to-franchise purchase in Domino's history.

The acquisition includes nearly 40 stores in the Indianapolis metro area, and stores serving South Bend and Lafayette. Once completed, the acquisition will give RPM Pizza operations in seven states, employing more than 3,800 workers.