International Business

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.

Former Walmart President and CEO Mike Duke talks with First Lady Michelle Obama at the quarterly meeting of member CEOs of the Business Roundtable on March 13, 2013. Photo credit: Walmart.

Washington, D.C. – Mike Duke, former president and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores, has joined global alternative asset manager The Carlyle Group. Mike Duke as an operating executive in the Global Consumer & Retail group. He began his duties in mid-April.

Deerfield, Ill. - Walgreens Boots Alliance is ahead of schedule in its synergy efforts since Walgreens and Boots officially merged in December 2014. At its 2015 Analyst Day in New York City, the retailer’s leadership team outlined plans to support the customer experience in its Retail Pharmacy USA division with investments in key operational efficiencies such as IT systems, modernizing pharmacies and investing in customer care.

Former Walmart CEO and current board member Mike Duke is the newest operating executive at the Carlyle Group, which suggests the pace of deal-making activity in the retail and consumer packaged goods world could be about to heat up.

Vancouver, Wash. – Papa Murphy’s Holdings Inc. has appointed Jean M. Birch, Rob Weisberg and Jeffrey B. Welch as independent members of its board of directors, effective April 15, 2015. The appointments replace both Thomas H. Lee and Achi Yaffe, who have resigned from the board, as well as increase the board size by one seat.

Physical expansion remains the primary growth driver of many a U.S. retailer, but the likes of Alibaba and rival JD.com are allowing U.S. retailers and brands to tap the Chinese market without the aggravation and financial uncertainty associated with establishing a physical presence.

Beijing, China – Chinese direct sales company JD.com Inc. is launching JD Worldwide, its new cross-border e-commerce platform that directly challenges Alibaba. JD Worldwide provides Chinese consumers with authentic imported products.

In a coup over Alibaba, JD.com is also launching of "Best of EBay Deals," a pilot program on the new platform in partnership with EBay. EBay’s channel on JD Worldwide will showcase a variety of merchandise from select EBay sellers in the U.S.