Finance & Capital Management

Bentonville, Ark. – The Sam’s Club Giving Program is providing a $2.5 million grant to grow U.S. women-owned businesses and jumpstart job creation. Awarded to three non-profit organizations, the grant creates the WE Lend Initiative, a two-year investment in strengthening SBA-recognized Women’s Business Centers (WBCs).

Cary, N.C. -- The board of directors of The Pantry Inc. has elected Thomas W. "Tad" Dickson, former chairman and CEO of Harris Teeter Supermarkets Inc., to serve as chairman of the board of directors. He replaces Edwin J. Holman, who was chairman of the board since September 2009.

Minneapolis – All lawsuits relating to the 2013 data breach at Target Corp. will be consolidated before a single court in Minnesota. The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has assigned all data breach suits to be heard by U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson in Minnesota.

Former Office Depot executive Monica Luechtefeld has joined the board of e-commerce solutions provider PFSweb.

Luechetfeld spent 20 years at Office Depot serving in a variety of leadership roles in the areas of e-commerce, supply chain, information technology, marketing and business development. She left Office Depot in 2012 after holding senior roles such as EVP of European e-commerce, EVP of e-commerce and digital marketing and founded her own consulting firm. Luechetfeld was also a founding member of the National Retail Federation’s Shop.org organization.

The Bear Creek Country Kitchens brand is now part of the B&G Foods portfolio of brands following B&G’s acquisition of the dry soup line and other brands from Specialty Brands of America.

The Bear Creek brand of hearty dry soups is the largest brand in the Specialty Brands of America portfolio which also includes Spring Tree, Cary’s and MacDonald’s brand pure maple syrups, New York Flatbreads and Canoleo margarine.

Michael Manos has joined payments security provider First Data as chief technology officer after holding a similar role at AOL.

In his new role, Manos will be responsible for First Data's global technology infrastructure and reports to company president Guy Chiarello.

Barnes & Noble named Tulane University president Scott Cowen to its board a after a major shareholder disclosed it was dumping 90% of its stake in the company and relinquishing a seat on the board of directors.

Cowen serves as president of Tulane University in New Orleans and also holds the titles of Seymour S. Goodman Memorial Professor of Business in Tulane’s A.B. Freeman School of Business and Professor of Economics in the School of Liberal Arts.

Third party logistics provider XPO Logistics completed its acquisition of Pacer International making it the largest provider of cross-border intermodal services with Mexico.

Houston -- Mattress Firm Holding Corp. announced it has completed its acquisition of the outstanding partnership interests in Sleep Experts Partners.

With the acquisition, Mattress Firm expects to operate an additional 55 stores in the Dallas and Austin markets, two of Mattress Firm’s core markets.

Mattress Firm operates 1,400 stores across 33 states.

York, Pa. -- The Bon-Ton Stores plans to open a 27,000-sq.-ft. Herberger’s Clearance Center in Maplewood, Minn. The store is scheduled to open May 2014.

“We are pleased to announce the opening of our fourth free-standing clearance center,” said Brendan Hoffman, president and CEO.

Bon-Ton Stores operates 270 department stores in 25 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains under the Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers nameplates.