International Business

New York -- The National Retail Federation on Wednesday criticized a fire-and-building safety agreement for Bangladesh, led by labor groups such as Europe's IndustriALL.  

"While the proposal put forth by the labor unions addresses a number of shared concerns, the accord veers away from commonsense solutions and seeks to advance a narrow agenda driven by special interests," NRF CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement.

SEATTLE — Blue Nile, an online retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry, has appointed former Aeropostale co-CEO Mindy Meads to its board of directors. 

Meads has 35 years of experience in the global apparel industry. She currently serves on two public boards — Wet Seal, a specialty teen brand, and Mela Sciences, a bio tech company. In these roles, she provides strategic counsel focused on growth and the use of multichannel business strategies.

Washington, D.C. -- Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 3.3% in May over the same month last year, but growth could trickle to a standstill by the end of the summer, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Tuesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

Omaha, Neb. -- Apparel and home-décor retailer Gordmans said Tuesday it has appointed Geoffrey Ayoub as senior VP planning, allocation and analysis.

Ayoub joins Gordmans from EDCON, a South African-based retailer operating over 1,000 stores in multiple retail formats throughout five countries. At EDCON, he served as chief planning officer responsible for all aspects of merchandise planning, allocation, replenishment and merchandise analysis.

Los Angeles -- CBRE Group released research findings on Tuesday that showed Hong Kong’s continued top position as the world’s most expensive global retail market, recording prime rents nearly 150% higher than New York City.

London ranked third, with prime rental rates 400% lower than Hong Kong’s.

LOS ANGELES — Mike Pollard, retired VP of Costco Wholesale, has joined the board of directors of Abbyson Living, which manufactures and imports living room, dining and bedroom furniture.

Pollard retired from Costco Wholesale in 2013 after a 27-year career. Abbyson Living will look to Pollard for his guidance regarding comprehensive business practices that will directly impact the company’s growth and further mature the value of the brand. 

NEW YORK — Olivier Goudet, partner and CEO of the Joh. A. Benckiser Group and former CFO of Mars Inc., has been appointed global beauty brand Coty’s board of directors. Goudet replaces Bernd Beetz, who stepped down from Coty's board to pursue other interests.  

JAB is a privately held group that owns and invests in premium brands; it is also Coty's majority shareholder.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has announced plans to conduct in-depth safety inspections at every single factory in Bangladesh that produces goods for the retailer. The company says it aims to complete all reviews within six months and publicly release the names and inspection information on all 279 factories.  

Atlanta -- Aaron's has appointed Robert W. Kamerschen as the company’s senior VP and general counsel.

Kamerschen will be responsible for managing all legal and governmental affairs for Aaron's, including employment law, regulatory matters, intellectual property, litigation, vendor relationships, financings, acquisitions and other general legal matters. As general counsel, he will report directly to chairman, president and CEO Ronald W. Allen.

Seattle -- The national vacancy rate for shopping centers dropped slightly from 10.09% to 10.06% in the first quarter of 2013, according to a study by global real estate services company Colliers International. In addition, shopping centers absorbed nearly 4.5 million sq. ft. in the first quarter.