International Business

The wait is finally over—and with it, the competition between Microsoft and Apple takes a closer turn. Microsoft will take the wraps off its Manhattan flagship, on Oct. 26. The store is located on Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street, just a few short blocks from Apple’s Fifth Avenue flagship with its glass cube entry.

A strong dollar and tumbling gas prices made Costco’s fourth quarter sales results seem weak. They weren’t and now the company plans to open 12 more clubs before year end.

Walgreens has teamed up with Western Union on an initiative that may generate the drugstore chain a lot more traffic and sales.

The nation’s largest drugstore chain has launched Western Union Bill Payment services via digital self-service kiosks, allowing customers to make payments to 15,000 billers across the United States and beyond.

eBay is turning to the former chief executive of a major specialty retailer to help provide its board of directors some guidance.

Paul Pressler, who served as president and CEO of Gap Inc. from 2002-2007, has been named to eBay’s board and will serve on the Audit Committee as well as the Corporate Governance and Nominating Committee.

Jill Stanton was named interim president of Old Navy after the top executive at Gap Inc.’s fastest growing division left the company to become CEO of Ralph Lauren.

IBM aims to let retailers get more personal with their customers. As part of a general release of new cloud-based industry platforms, IBM is introducing a Retail Consumer Experience platform.

Gap plans to expand the training program it offers to its women garment workers oversees, aiming to educate at least 1 million women by 2020.

The program, called P.A.C.E. (Personal Advancement & Career Enhancement), launched in 2007 and gives women garment workers access to a curriculum up to 80 hours long in up to nine areas, from communications skills, financial literacy, stress management, problem-solving and decision-making.

Walmart has taken a big step towards becoming 100% supplied by renewable energy.

The discounter entered into a long-term power purchase agreement to buy the majority of the electricity generated by Pattern Energy Group’s new Logan's Gap Wind facility.

The 200 megawatt facility is in Comanche County, Texas.