International Business

Cupertino, Calif. – Apple Inc. reportedly may launch its Apple Pay mobile payment service in Canada as soon as fall 2015. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is in negotiations with the six largest Canadian banks to roll out Apple Pay north of the border in November 2015.

Framingham, Mass. – Staples Inc. will acquire Accolade Promotion Group (APG), a distributor of promotional products in Canada. The acquisition will build on Staples' position as a distributor of promotional products in North America and will expand the breadth of offering for its customers.

Dallas - Corner Bakery Cafe plans to open 13 new stores in greater Cleveland. The retailer has entered into its first area development agreement in the state of Ohio.

Indianapolis - In partnership with Mitsubishi Estate Co. Ltd., Simon has opened the expansion of the Shisui Premium Outlets located outside Tokyo. Shisui Premium Outlets initially opened in April 2013.

This first phase of the project opened 100% leased with 121 stores featuring a mix of international brands, Japanese brands and restaurants. The second phase, opening April 17, adds 62 new stores, including four restaurants, bringing the total store count to 183. The expansion adds 136,000-sq.-ft. of stores, bringing the total project to 375,000-sq.-ft.

Corporate identities don’t get more generic than Brown Shoe Company which helps explain the shift to a new name but most customers won’t even notice.

Washington, D.C. – The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Gap Inc. are both asking Congress to approve legislation that would reauthorize Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), saying such authority is critical to advancing free trade agreements.

Office Depot, along with Walmart, Target and CVS Health, have been named as top companies for women, according to the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

St. Louis -- One of St. Louis’ oldest public companies and one of the nation’s most diverse footwear companies, Brown Shoe Company, is putting a new foot forward and changing its name to “Caleres,” a Latin word that means “passionate, to glow.” The Brown name, however, will live on in a new men’s footwear business called Brown Shoe Bootmakers that the company plans to launch in 2016.