International Business

Alan Hoffman, former deputy chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, is the new SVP of global public policy and government affairs at PepsiCo.

Strongsville, Ohio -- The International Retail User Group, formerly the IBM Retail User Group, said Tuesday that the organization’s name has been officially changed to the “International Retail User Group.”

Toronto -- Target Corp. announced Wednesday it is pursuing Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certification for all Canadian stores opening in 2013.

Design plans include conserving energy and water, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and limiting waste sent to landfill, among other features.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples Inc. reported Wednesday a loss of $596.3 million for the third quarter, compared with a profit of $326.4 million a year earlier. Without restructuring costs, the office supply retailer generated a profit that just edged Wall Street expectations.

Sales for the quarter dropped 2% to $6.35 billion, missing analysts’ expected $6.45 billion in sales.

Columbus, Ohio -- Abercrombie and Fitch reported Wednesday net income of $71.5 million for the third quarter, compared with $50.9 million in the year-ago period and beating Wall Street expectations. The retailer is forecasting annual earnings above analysts’ estimates.

Revenue rose 9% to $1.17 billion, boosted by a 37% rise in international sales. Same-store sales dipped 3%.

Specialty retailer Five Below doubled in size the past three years and now the company has secured a new distribution center to help it replicate that accomplishment going forward.

The new 600,000-sq.-ft. facility in the northern Mississippi community of Olive Branch will become operational in 2013 and will complement the company’s existing distribution facility in Newark, De. Five Below is focused on teen and pre-teen customers and derives its name from a merchandise mix price at $5 or less.

Home Depot has opened its 100th location in Mexico, according to an article in El Financiero. The Atlanta-based retailer now operates 95 stores in 60 cities in Mexico, where it generates annual revenues of $1 billion, the newspaper said.

In the final quarter of 2012, Home Depot will open stores in the towns of Coahuila, Sonora, Veracruz, Michoacán and Nuevo León.

Minneapolis -- Best Buy today announced that retired director, EVP, chief operating and CFO of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., Sharon McCollam, will join the company as its new chief administrative and CFO, effective Dec. 10, according to a Reuters report. McCollam, 50, left Williams-Sonoma earlier this year after serving as an executive officer for more than 12 years.

McCollam succeeds CFO James Muehlbauer, whose departure was announced last month. Muehlbauer will leave the company at the end of this fiscal year, allowing for a smooth transition.

Dallas -- Corner Bakery Café has signed a franchise agreement to open its first restaurants in New York’s Nassau County beginning in 2013. Earlier this year, Corner Bakery Cafe announced similar expansion plans in the Northeast, including Northern New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island.
 
Four M Bakery, LLC, a group of veteran restaurant operators, which also owns 12 Buffalo Wild Wings through Four M Capital, LLC, has plans to open seven Corner Bakery Cafes in Nassau County.
 

New York -- Marimekko will open a flagship in the heart of Beverly Hills, Calif., on Nov. 15. The 5,000 -sq.-ft. store will feature the entire range of Marimekko products, from signature fashions to home furnishings and textiles, as well as a showroom to support further business development of the brand in the area.

The Finnish textile and clothing design company, renowned for its original prints and colors, opened a store in Palo in the Stanford Shopping Center, on Oct. 25.