Finance & Capital Management

Jeremy Cage was named CEO of the global LED lighting firm Lighting Science Group.

Cage, 48, was selected to lead the company based on his experience in building major brands, his success in developing commercially-appealing technologies and bringing them to market, as well as his distinguished track record of strengthening business models and improving operational efficiencies, according to a statement by Lighting Science Group.

Cage replaces Brad Knight, who served as interim CEO while the board worked with an executive search firm. Knight will continue to serve as COO.

February 2013 promises to be an interesting month at Best Buy following the retailer’s decision to extend the timeframe for company founder and former chairman Richard Schulze to submit a potential buyout offer.

Schulze will have the entire month of February to present an offer and then the board will review the offer within 30 days to determine if it is in the best interests of shareholders.

Purchase, N.Y. -- A SpendingPulse report released Monday by MasterCard Advisors found that after a three-week recovery of retail spending growth that started two weeks after Superstorm Sandy and lasted through the week ending Dec. 1, a slowdown occurred in the week ending Dec. 8.  

After a surge in growth in late November some key sectors such as Specialty Apparel slipped into negative growth in early December, according to the report.

Minneapolis -- Investment firm Joh. A. Benckiser Group agreed to acquire Caribou Coffee Co. for approximately $340 million.

Caribou will continue to be based in Minneapolis and operate under its own brand and management, the companies said in a statement. As of September 30, 2012, the company had 610 coffeehouses, including 202 franchised locations, in 22 states, the District of Columbia and 10 international markets.

Boston-based private equity firm Berkshire Partners named Staples president and COO Mike Miles to the role of advisory director.

Miles spent the past decade at Staples and his last day will be February 2, 2013. In his new capacity at Berkshire, Miles is tasked with sourcing new investment ideas and serving as an operating advisor to Berkshire’s portfolio of companies.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples Inc. announced Monday that its president and COO Michael Miles has left the company, effective Feb. 2.

Miles has accepted a position with Boston-based investment firm Berkshire Partners.

North Bergen, N.J. -- The Vitamin Shoppe announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to purchase the assets of Super Supplements, a specialty retailer of vitamin, mineral and supplements for approximately $50 million.

Super Supplements, headquartered in Seattle, operates 31 stores in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The acquisition expands the Vitamin Shoppe's presence in the Pacific

LOS ANGELES — Blake Mycoskie, founder of the Toms shoe brand, has donated 100% of the proceeds from his bestselling book “Start Something That Matters.”

Mycoskie has established the Start Something That Matters Foundation with the book’s proceeds, approximately $300,000, to benefit social entrepreneurs and students around the world. The first three recipient organizations of the new fund are the Dell Social Innovation Challenge, Echoing Green and GOOD.is.