Finance & Capital Management

New York -- A group of 17  North American retailers, including Walmart, J.C. Penney, Gap, Target and Macy’s, on Wednesday announced a five-year safety pact aimed at improving conditions in garment factories in Bangladesh. It calls for inspecting all factories that supply their garments within a year, and an agreement to set up basic safety standards within three months.

The announcement by the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety comes after a separate safety plan was announced on Monday by a group of mostly European companies.

SAN FRANCISCO — Performance Marketing Brands, which owns and operates cash-back shopping sites that include Ebates.com, has appointed David Oppenheimer as the company’s new CFO. 

Most recently, Oppenheimer was CFO at ServiceSource, a global recurring revenue management and technology company. Oppenheimer will manage finance, accounting, HR, facilities and various operational and administrative functions for all PMB properties, including Ebates.com, Ebates Canada, FatWallet, AnyCoupons, One Receipt and Pushpins. 

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar reported lower net income in the third quarter of 2013 as its shoppers continue to hold off on discretionary spending.  The discounter also named Jason Reiser to the position of senior VP merchandising.

Family Dollar posted net income of $120.9 million, down 3% from $124.5 million in the year-ago period. Its results, however, topped expectations.

Sales rose 9% to $2.57 billion. Same-store sales increased 2.9% as a result of higher customer transaction totals and traffic volumes.

Cincinnati -- FRCH Design Worldwide has named Tom Custer as VP, marketing and client development.

Custer is tasked with leading the company’s positioning in the marketplace, including its marketing and PR efforts. In addition, he will assist with new business development for FRCH and build a professional sales strategy for the company.

Prior to FRCH, Custer worked with Interbrand Design Forum in Dayton, Ohio, where he served as executive director, business development.

PLANO, Texas — Crossmark, a leading sales and marketing services company in the consumer goods industry, has named John Compton to its board of directors to serve along with principals of Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm.

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Former Sam’s Club executive Jason Reiser is heading to Family Dollar to be the company's SVP of merchandising. He replaces John Scanlon, who left the company at the end of March.

Family Dollar announced the key changes to its merchandising organization on the heels of better-than-expected third quarter results for fiscal 2013 ended June 1. 

Dallas – Alliance Data Systems Corporation will provide private label credit card services for the US brands of Zale’s and acquire the existing card portfolio at a future date. In addition to providing private label credit card services for each Zale brand in the U.S., Alliance Data will provide turnkey credit marketing services to all Zale brands, including omni-channel and mobile services and technologies.

Los Angeles -- For the second consecutive quarter, the retail availability rate has fallen 30 basis points, according to the latest analysis from CBRE Group. The rate now stands at 12.2% and testifies to improved retailer confidence as consumer spending continues to rebound.

The availability rate tracks space that is actively being marketed and available for tenant build-out within 12 months.