International Business

Senior executives from Yahoo! and Ecolab are the newest members of the board of directors at Target.

The retailer late Wednesday announced the addition of Douglas M. Baker, Jr., chairman and CEO of Ecolab Inc., and Henrique De Castro, COO of Yahoo! Inc., to its board, effective immediately.

Baker, 54, is a 24-year veteran at St. Paul, Minn.-based Ecolab. Prior to being named president and CEO in July 2004, Baker held key roles in marketing, sales and general management in both the U.S. and Europe. He became chairman in May 2006.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Express, a specialty retail apparel chain operating more than 620 stores, reported that fourth quarter net sales increased 8% to $728.7 million from $673.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Comparable sales increased 1.5%, following a 5% increase in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Net income was $63.9 million, or 75 cents per diluted share. This compares to net income of $60.4 million, or 68 cents per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2011.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — DollarDays.com, an online wholesale distributor, has recently joined forces with Bongo International to offer customers located worldwide the same discounts and service that U.S. clients have enjoyed for over 12 years. Bongo International is a global e-commerce solution providing U.S. retailers access to international markets with no change to their current operations.

Second quarter sales increased 8% to $24.3 billion and profits, aided by a sizable tax benefit, increased 39% to $547 million, or $1.24 a share.

The surge is profits for the 12 week quarterly period ended February 17 was driven by a $62 million, or 14 cent a share, tax benefit that resulted from the portion of a special dividend payment made in December to participants in the company’s 401(K) program. Costco authorized a one time special dividend of $7 a share last year to return cash to shareholders in advance of a 2013 tax hike on dividend income.

DALLAS — Kimberly-Clark has announced that Clive Sirkin has been named vice president and chief marketing officer, reporting to Tony Palmer, president of global brands and innovation.

Sirkin joined K-C in 2007 and has held a number of marketing leadership positions.

"Since joining K-C, Clive has been instrumental in building strong, healthy brands and businesses around the world," Palmer said. "As CMO, Clive will continue the ongoing transformation of our marketing function as a core driver of our growth agenda."

MELVILLE, N.Y. — The Hain Celestial Group has confirmed its support of increased transparency in the labeling of genetically-modified organisms (GMOs).  

The board of directors of the General Electric Company nominated former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman Mary Schapiro to serve on its board.

Schapiro will stand for election at GE’s annual meeting on April 24, the company said.

ATLANTA — The Coca-Cola Company and IFC (International Finance Corporation), a member of the World Bank Group, have formed a $100 million, three-year joint initiative to provide access to finance for women entrepreneurs in Eurasia and Africa.

NEW YORK — Foot Locker's fourth quarter profit rose to $104 million from $81 million a year earlier.

Sales jumped 14% to $1.71 billion, including the benefit of an extra week. Same-store sales rose 7.9%.

For fiscal year 2012, which included 53 weeks, the company reported net income of $397 million, compared to $278 million a year earlier.

Total sales increased 9.9% in 2012 to $6.182 million, compared with sales of $5.623 million last year. Same-store sales were up 9.4% in 2012.

BURNABY, B.C. — Best Buy has named Ron Wilson as its new president and COO of its Canada operations, effective immediately. In this role, Wilson will lead the business in Canada under the Future Shop and Best Buy brands, including online.