International Business

Kroger’s existing businesses are performing quite well so what better time to create a new senior executive role focused on new business development.

The nation’s largest supermarket operator said it named Procter & Gamble veteran Alex Tosolini to the newly created role of SVP of new business development reporting directly to CEO Rodney McMullen. Tosolini spent the past 24 years at P&G, most recently as SVP of global e-business and vp of global e-commerce.

Huntington Beach, Calif. -- Quiksilver announced that Bob McKnight will retire as a senior executive of the company on Oct. 31, 2014. He will remain a director. The teen retailer also said CEO Andy Mooney has been elected chairman and Pierre Agnes has been promoted to president of Quiksilver, effective Nov. 1, 2014.  

Online referral service provider Angie’s List plans to increase the size of its headquarters in Indianapolis and increase the workforce to 2,800 people within five years.

Angie’s List, a review drive enterprise that helps facilitate transactions between more than 2.8 million consumers and service providers in 720 categories, said it plans to grow its base of employees from 500 in 2011 to roughly 2,800 by 2019. The company said the expansion was enabled in part by an attractive incentive plan from the City of Indianapolis and State of Indiana.

Lowe’s may operate only eight stores in Mexico but that’s enough for the company to get a jump on executing an omnichannel strategy.

Leading footwear manufacturer Wolverine Worldwide added an executive with an ideal background for a data insecure world to its board of directors.

Dallas -- Speed Commerce, a leading provider of omni-channel e-commerce services, has launched a customized e-commerce solution for Lowe's Companies to support its operations in Mexico.  

Indianapolis – Lids Sports Group has acquired Jersey City Canada, a licensed sports apparel, headwear and novelty company operating 28 stores across four Canadian provinces. In addition, the acquisition includes nine headwear-only Capz stores, and two websites.  

Armonk, N.Y. – IBM is introducing new partners developing apps based on its Watson artificial intelligence platform and world headquarters for its Watson Group, as well as new cognitive services that will be available on IBM Bluemix, IBM's cloud-based platform for mobile and Web app development.