Finance & Capital Management

New York -- Damco announced it has been named a 2012 Partner in Transformation for Sears Holdings Corp. in recognition of its innovative contributions to Sears. Damco is a leading third-party logistics provider specializing in customised freight forwarding and supply chain solutions.

Sears grants the Partners in Transformation award to a select group of supplier companies who have been helping support the transformation of the company through innovation around customers, core retail excellence and financial and operational discipline.

NEW YORK — Harwood Feffer LLP, a law firm that represents investors and investment groups, announced that it is investigating potential claims against the board of directors of Best Buy, concerning whether the board is fulfilling its fiduciary duties to shareholders in connection with an offer from the company's founder and former CEO, Richard Schulze, to take the company private.

New York -- Total operating income of all shopping centers on a square-foot basis in the second quarter of 2012 rose 4.9% from the same quarter last year, while operating expenses rose by a larger 5.8%, according to a new quarterly shopping-center benchmarking report from The National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF) and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC).

MATTHEWS, N.C. — Harris Teeter plans to expand its presence in existing markets, the company said in its third-quarter earnings release.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreen Co. said that its same-store sales fell 7% in July as its split with Express Scripts continued to hurt its top line. (The two companies last month reached an agreement to resume doing business, but that doesn't start until Sept. 15.)

The company's pharmacy same-store sales were down 9.7%, while front end sales fell 2.4%. The performance missed analyst expectations.
 

Matthews, N.C. -- Harris Teeter plans to expand its presence in existing markets, the company said in its third-quarter earnings release.

GLENDALE, Calif. — Paul Grimwood, CEO of Nestlé UK and Ireland, has been appointed to the role of chairman and CEO of Nestlé USA following the announcement by current chairman and CEO Brad Alford, who is to retire in October 2012.

In addition to a John Fleming sighting in Minneapolis, Walmart alums John Menzer and Craig Herkert made news of their own this week.

Menzer resigned as CEO of Michaels following a stroke he suffered back in April, while Herkert was let go from his CEO role at Supervalu following a string of poor results.