Finance & Capital Management

New York -- Wal-Mart Stores confirmed that it is investigating its operations in Mexico for possible violations of the U.S. law that prohibits bribery overseas. The acknowledgement came in response to a lengthy article by The New York Times on Saturday that alleged the giant discounter first learned of allegations of "widespread bribery" by its workers in the country in 2005 and that top executives subsequently covered them up. 

PURCHASE, N.Y. — PepsiCo has appointed Jim Wilkinson to lead the company's global communications team.

Tampa, Fla. -- The Container Store said it will be the anchor tenant of The Corner, a new 35,000-sq.-ft. retail center to be built on the corner of Westshore Boulevard and Spruce Street opposite International Plaza, in Tampa.

The Corner is a joint venture development of Saber Corner, an affiliate of Saber Real Estate Advisors, and ARC Property Trust, a Real Estate Investment Trust sponsored by ARC Properties Inc.

Igloo Products Corp., named Terri Brooks VP strategic accounts as part of a larger sales reorganization and said she would be based in Bentonville.

Katy, Texas-based Igloo said the addition of Brooks to her newly created position and the addition of David D’Auteuil as VP new business development would accelerate the momentum the company has achieved from new product introductions and aggressive marketing.

Toronto -- Sears Canada, Inc., an arm of Sears Holdings Corp., said Friday it has completed the transaction with landlord The Cadillac Fairview Corp. to return three stores for $170 million.

The stores – located in Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa – are slated to be exited by Sears as of Oct 31, 2012. The agreement between Sears and the landlord was first announced in March.
 

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe's has created two new executive positions, with the goal of streamlining its operations to better serve its customers. The new positions are chief customer officer and chief operating officer, and they will be filled by current EVP business development, Gregory Bridgeford, and Rick Damron, EVP store operations, respectively. The promotions are effective May 5, and both executives will report to Robert Niblock, chairman, president and CEO.

For the third time in the past five months, Walmart chief merchandising and marketing officer Duncan Mac Naughton is representing Walmart at a major investor conference. Smart move considering expectations of further U.S. same-store sales acceleration has served as a catalyst for Walmart shares, which are trading near a 52-week high.

New York -- London has reclaimed the number one position as the most targeted market for international retailers, according to a survey by global property adviser CBRE. It was followed by Dubai, New York City, Moscow and Paris.