International Business

With the retail environment changing so rapidly today, and technology impacting everything a store does, the role of the chief financial officer has become more important than ever.

When I started recruiting in 1990, the business was much simpler — we hired retail executives based on a linear skillset, and departments operated in individual silos. Today, it is much more complex, as the C-suite works in collaboration to keep up with an increasingly savvy consumer.

So, what then do you look for in a CFO today?

The world’s largest ice cream manufacturer has opened its first U.S. storefront, a pop-up in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood.

Unilever is opening custom-dipping shops for its Magnum Ice Cream brand around the world, and the SoHo outpost is its first U.S. storefront. (Unilever’s other ice-cream brands include Ben & Jerry’s, Fudgsicle and Klondike.)

Effectively managing an end-to-end supply chain is a tricky proposition for most retailers.

No matter where a retailer is located or what products they sell, their supply chain likely extends across the globe, exposing them to a wide variety of potential issues. In a new report, “Is Your Luck Running Out? Managing Supply Risk in Uncertain Times,” A.T. Kearney identifies 12 specific risk trends, most negative but some with mixed or even positive impact that will affect the supply chain through 2025.

The man who turned a single struggling bookstore he bought in 1965 into a retail empire is retiring from active duty.

Leonard Riggio, founder and executive chairman of Barnes & Noble Inc., announced that he will retire as chairman in September, following the chain’s annual shareholder meeting.

“I’ve done everything I have wanted to do in business and now it is time for me to pursue the many other endeavors related to my philanthropic and social interests,” said Riggio.

Coach on Tuesday reported its first growth in quarterly profit in three years. The retailer also announced a series of management changes and corporate job reductions resulting in a pre-tax charge of about $65 million to $80 million in the fourth quarter.

Coach said it would cut an unspecified number of corporate jobs, and announced that president and COO Gebhard Rainer and global marketing president David Duplantis would leave the company.

London stands at the forefront of international retailing as a global retail powerhouse, and as the number one market in the world.

That’s one of the findings of a new study from JLL, which identifies the top 50 major cities worldwide that offer the top growth prospects for retailers’ expansion plans. Hong Kong follows London in the rankings, with Paris, Dubai and New York City rounding out the top five. (A list of the top 25 markets is at the end of article.)

Cross-border expansion is on the rise and an extensive new study from JLL identifies the top 50 major cities worldwide that offer the top growth prospects.

Starbucks Corp. reported profit for the second quarter that exceeded expectations, but it disappointed on sales. The chain also offered a third-quarter earnings outlook that was shy of forecasts.

For the quarter ended March 27, Starbucks reported $4.99 billion in sales, up 9% from $4.56 billion in the year-ago period. Although sales set a new record for a non-holiday quarter, they but still fell short of analyst estimates of $5.03 billion.

Net income rose 18% to $575.1 million on strong U.S. sales.