Finance & Capital Management

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot announced that the company’s global headquarters, located in Boca Raton, Fla., has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star certification for the second consecutive year. The certification signifies the building performs in the top 25% of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency.

Dallas -- The current trial involving Martha Stewart, J.C. Penney Co. and Macy's could seriously damage the value of the Martha Stewart brand, according to litigation media relations and crisis management expert David Margulies, president of Marguilies Communications Group.

"Even if the court rules in her favor the perception will be that Stewart stabbed a longtime loyal business partner in the back,” he said. “The public looks at legal issues from a point of fairness rather than from the specific legal issues involved.”

AMSTERDAM — Rene Dahan will step down as Royal Ahold's board chairman in October, the Dutch supermarket operator said Wednesday.

Netherlands-based Ahold — which operates the Stop & Shop, Giant-Landover and Giant-Carlisle chains and the Peapod online grocery service in the United States through its Ahold USA subsidiary — said that Dahan would step down after serving on the company's board since 2004. The company plans to propose at its shareholder meeting the appointment of Jan Hommen as Dahan's successor.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Big Lots reported income from continuing operations of $120.3 million, or $2.09 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, meeting the company's expectations for net income to be in the range of $1.91 to $2.10 per diluted share.

Net sales for U.S. operations for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 increased 4.4% to $1.8 billion, compared to $1.6 billion for the same period of fiscal 2011. Comparable-store sales for U.S. stores decreased 3.5% for the quarter. 

SUNBURY, Pa. — Weis Markets on Tuesday reported net income of $82.5 million for the 52-week period ended Dec. 29. Even with one less week of sales, that's up 9.2% versus fiscal 2011, which was a 53-week period, the grocer noted. Sales were down slightly by 1.9% to $2.7 billion compared with the week-longer year-ago period. Comparable sales were down 2%. 

Adjusting for the 52-week to 53-week comparison, the grocer's 2012 net income increased 13.9% while sales and comparable store sales were flat.

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp., a leading provider of loyalty and marketing solutions derived from transaction-rich data, announced its Retail Services business has signed a long-term agreement to continue providing the co-brand credit card program for multichannel retailer Gander Mountain.

New York -- Vornado Realty Trust is selling 10 million shares of J.C. Penney Co. in an unregistered secondary transaction, according to reports by CNBC and other media outlets.

Deutsche Bank is shopping around the sale of the Vornado shares, according to the report.

Vornado is Penney’s third-largest shareholder controlling some 8.5% of the company. Vornado chairman Steven Roth sits on the company's board.

New York -- Best Buy Co. named Ron Wilson as president and COO of its Canadian operations, effective immediately. Wilson will lead the business in Canada under the Future Shop and Best Buy online brands.

As SVP merchandising and e-commerce since 2008 for Best Buy Canada, Wilson led the strategic visions of Bestbuy.ca and Futureshop.ca. Wilson previously managed several other units within Best Buy Canada, including merchandising, operations and marketing.