International Business

Toys “R” Us reported a 4% same store sales increase during the first quarter, a surprisingly strong figure given the weather related challenges cited by other retailers who experienced weak sales.

Daniel Castle, former Iconix VP of international and business development, will be joining Saban Brands as the company’s managing director of strategic business development.

San Mateo, Calif. – Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is debuting its U.S. e-commerce site, 11Main.com, with a beta rollout on Wednesday, June 11. The home page of the invite-only website says “We’re opening soon — our shop owners are getting unpacked and unsettled,” and has an online invite request option. (Alibaba has filed for an initial public offering in the United States, in May.)

Lululemon founder Chip Wilson has voted against the re-election of Michael Casey and RoAnn Costin to the company’s board of directors.

Wilson founded the company in 1998, and has seen it evolve through many business cycles, expanding it from a small storefront in Vancouver to an international brand with more than 250 stores.

Brussels, Belgium — The European Union (E.U.) is investigating lucrative tax breaks individual member countries such as Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg have been giving major global companies including Starbucks and Apple. Media reports indicate the E.U. is focusing on whether certain tax loopholes these countries have provided some corporations qualify as “state aid,” which is prohibited under E.U. bylaws.

Chine-based e-commerce company DHgate allows consumers and business to purchase goods directly from Chinese manufacturers and has big growth plans after hiring veterans of Amazon, Google, eBay and Alibaba.

Taramac, Fla. — Furniture retailer City Furniture is completing a $17.5 realignment of its South Florida retail network with the opening of a new 34,000-sq.-ft. Ashley Furniture HomeStore in Cutler Bay, Florida. This location is adjacent to a 56,000-sq.-ft. City Furniture showroom that opened in October 2013, creating a 90,000-sq.-ft. superstore.

Louisville, Ky. — Papa John’s International Inc. has appointed Laurette Koellner to the company’s board of directors. Koellner most recently served as executive chairman of International Lease Finance Corporation, a subsidiary of American International Group Inc. (“AIG”) from June 2012 until May 2014.