International Business

New York -- NRF president Matthew Shay told attendees of retail’s Big Show in New York City this week that the industry is well positioned for 2015 – with support from Washington, D.C.

New York -- The National Retail Federation announced that The Container Store chairman and CEO Kip Tindell has been elected chairman of the NRF board of directors and chairman of its executive committee, succeeding Stephen I. Sadove, retired chairman and CEO of Saks, Inc.  

Tindell was elected at the Board of Directors meeting held Sunday during NRF’s 104th Annual Convention and EXPO, Retail’s BIG Show.

King of Prussia, Pa. – EBay Enterprise is expanding its network of partnerships with a global program that will allow retail consultants and other partners to advise, design and integrate omnichannel commerce solutions and services from providers including Magento, Isobar, EPAM, Infosys, Bridge Consulting Group, AOE, Vaimo, and Gorilla.

Solutions and services offered include retail order management, store and warehouse fulfillment, and customer care. Global markets where services are offered include Europe, China and Latin America.
 

Washington, D.C. -- Year-over-year import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to continue to rise during most of the first half of 2015 despite significant congestion still impacting West Coast ports, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

New York -- A.R.E. (the Association for Retail Environments) is predicting a 10% increase in spending on North American retail store construction and renovations in 2015. The forecast, based on a survey of A.R.E.’s nearly 750 member companies and input from the industry association’s economic advisors, represents the sixth consecutive year of industry growth.

Santa did not bring any gifts this past holiday season for Toys "R" Us, as the toy retailer reported a drop in same store sales.

Toys “R” Us said same store sales in the United States fell 5%. The company said gross margins, however, improved, especially in the U.S., after the company was more "disciplined" in its promotional offers and more "rational" in its pricing strategy.

Seattle – In a surprising move, the second in command at Starbucks Corp., COO Troy Alstead, 51, is taking an extended, unpaid leave of absence from the company starting March 1. Alstead, a 23-year Starbucks veteran, is responsible for day-to-day operations of the coffee giant, a position he was appointed to in January 2014. He is widely viewed as a potential successor to CEO Howard Schultz.

Los Angeles -- Fast-casual pizza franchise PizzaRev kicks off 2015 with the opening of the chain’s 20th location in just over two years. The new restaurant will open in La Habra, California, one of eight locations scheduled to open in first-quarter 2015. The upcoming expansion will include entrance into four new markets: Bakersfield, San Diego and Santa Barbara in California, as well as Sioux Falls, South Dakota.