International Business

Energy Design Service Systems (EDSS) has opened a new office in Mexico, representing the culmination of the company’s year-long efforts to expand its market reach internationally and increase exports to Mexico.

EDSS welcomes its new sales representative Yennise Garza, who brings more than a decade of experience in sales and market research to the EDSS team. With Garza’s help, EDSS expects to participate in Mexico’s increasing efforts to reduce the country’s energy consumption to meet their ambitious carbon reduction goals.

Virginia Beach, Va. -- Wheeler Real Estate Investment Trust announced Wilkes Graham will join the company as its CFO, effective Jan. 19. Graham will oversee corporate finance, accounting, investor relations and capital and financing strategies for the Company and will report to CEO and chairman, Jon Wheeler. He will succeed Steven Belote, who will remain with the Company as its COO.

Williams-Sonoma knows how to connect with its core customers and has crafted life-altering promotion that does just that to commemorate its 60th anniversary.

Walgreens Boots Alliance on Thursday reported net sales of $29 billion, representing an increase of 48.5%, for the first quarter 2016 that ended Nov. 30, 2015. The significant growth was attributed to the inclusion of Alliance Boots consolidated results, the company reported.

Sally Beauty Holdings is turning to a 25-year retail veteran to help the company boost sales and drive growth.

Sharon M. Leite has been appointed president of the Sally Beauty Supply LLC, U.S. and Canada business, effective Feb. 1.

New Hyde Park, N.Y. -- Kimco Realty Corp. announced that Conor C. Flynn, president and CEO, has been appointed to the company’s board of directors effective January 1, 2016, simultaneous with his elevation to the CEO role. Flynn succeeds David B. Henry who retired as vice chairman of the board of directors and CEO on January 1, 2016.

From its artisan-looking shops and grocery-styled product displays to its ethical sourcing and activist ethos, Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics has always marched to the beat of a different drummer.

How will retailers fare in 2016? Very well, according to experienced market watchers.

“We expect core retail sales to grow 5.3% in 2016,” says Scott Hoyt, senior director of consumer economics for Moody’s Analytics, a research firm based in West Chester, Pennsylvania. (Core retail sales exclude volatile revenues from auto sales and gas stations.) That is notably faster than the 4.2% rate anticipated when 2015 sales are finally tallied. The 2015 experience was, again, slightly better than the 3.9% growth of 2014.