International Business

Walmart has created 78 subsidiaries and branches in 15 offshore tax havens in a bid to cut the corporate giant's taxes on its foreign operations, according to Bloomberg.

The company holds at least $76 billion in assets through shell companies based in the low-tax havens of Luxembourg and the Netherlands, said Bloomberg, who quoted a report by Americans for Tax Fairness, an organization backed by national, state and local labor and community groups.

Flying Tiger, the U.S. banner of Danish discounter Tiger, has landed in Manhattan, opening a 5,000-sq.-ft. outpost in the Flatiron district. The store has a modern Scandinavian look, with white walls, light wood flooring and a single aisle that winds through the space. The design focuses all the attention on the quirky, eclectic and very affordable product.

Alibaba wants to put a robot, specifically one named Pepper, in your home — or store.

A search is underway for a new CEO to execute a massive transformation at one of the world’s largest retailers. Getting to the interview will require U.S. executives to take a very long flight and the successful applicant will need good listening skills to decipher the accent of co-workers.

Brooklyn, N.Y. - Home furnishings retailer West Elm has named Johanna Uurasjarvi as senior VP of design, responsible for guiding the overall creative direction of the West Elm brand across its retail, catalog and online channels. She will lead the product design team and report to West Elm president Jim Brett.

Madrid – Spain-based European department store chain El Corte Inglés will launch a mobile shopping platform for its Portuguese market powered by Grability technology. Since launching Grability in December 2014 for the Spanish retail market, El Cortes Inglés says it has experienced a surge in mobile grocery sales, as well as customer enthusiasm for the new platform.

According to El Corte Inglés executives, Grability has also helped position the company as the most innovative online grocer in the countries it operates.

Home furnishings retailer West Elm has named a new senior vice president of design for its retail, catalog and online channels.

The company says Johanna Uurasjarvi will lead the product design team and report to West Elm President Jim Brett.

Bringing more than 20 years of fashion design experience and a lifetime of passion for design and global craft, Uurasjarvi joins West Elm from the lifestyle brand, Anthropologie, where she was the executive creative director of product design.

New York - Borderfree, provider of international cross-border e-commerce solutions, has expanded its platform to reach more than 220 countries and territories. This expansion of scope includes an additional 120 countries and 15 currencies.

Key emerging luxury markets Borderfree will now sell to include Nigeria and Kazakhstan. Both markets offer opportunities for e-commerce expansion due to increasing smartphone saturation and discretionary spending.

The additional countries will be available to Borderfree customers starting this June.