International Business

SAN FRANCISCO — Levi Strauss & Co has named longtime apparel executive Seth Ellison president of the global Dockers brand effective Sept. 10.

BOSTON — The future North American grocery business of Kraft Foods will deliver steady and profitable top-line growth, consistent bottom-line growth and a superior dividend payout, according to the business' future executive team.

San Francisco -- Gap Inc. announced Friday that it will open its first standalone store in Mexico, part of the retailer’s previously announced global expansion strategy.

The new store, to be located at Interlomas Mall outside Mexico City, expands on Gap’s store-in-store concepts in Liverpool Department stores in the region.

The Marine Stewardship Council received a nearly $11 million cash infusion from a trio of charitable foundations, including the Walton Family Foundation.

Pittsburgh -- American Eagle Outfitters said Thursday it has struck a deal with Suyen Corp. that will see the AEO banner open throughout the Philippines.
 
American Eagle signed a multiyear retail license agreement with Suyen, which operates more than 700 stores under various banners in the Philippines, along with 126 franchised stores in the country. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The first stores in the country, which will consist of standalone and in-store shops, are slated to open spring 2013.
 

St. Louis -- idX Corp., a global retail solutions provider, has announced it has opened a Mexico City office. The office will provide regional project management for idX clients as they continue to expand into Mexico and Central America.
 
Jimena Sotres has joined the firm as account executive, based in the Mexico City office.
 

Dallas -- Loyalty solution-provider Alliance Data Systems Corp. said Thursday that its Canadian coalition loyalty business has signed a new agreement with Michaels of Canada, a subsidiary of Irving, Texas-based Michaels Stores, to issue Air Miles reward miles across multiple Canadian provinces.

MELVILLE, N.Y. — Hain Celestial announced that EVP and CFO Ira Lamel will retire from the company.

Lamel will remain with Hain Celestial until a successor is named and to ensure an orderly transition, according to the company, which has commenced a global search for Lamel's replacement. Lamel, 65, joined the company in 2001.

New York -- Hudson’s Bay Co., owner of the Lord & Taylor and The Bay chains, plans to file for an initial public offering, according to The New York Times.

A listing, which is expected to be on the Toronto Stock Exchange, could come this fall, before the end of November, the report said, with as much as 20% of the company being sold to the public.
 

Pleasanton, Calif. -- Safeway Inc. announced on Wednesday that it plans to take its Blackhawk Network Holdings Inc. gift card and payment services unit public. Blackhawk sells gift cards at supermarkets and through other stores, including drug stores and convenience stores.

Safeway said it plans to file a registration statement for a potential initial public offering of a minority stake in Blackhawk and hopes to complete the IPO sometime in the first half of 2013, depending on market conditions.