International Business

London -- Tesco CEO Philip Clarke announced Wednesday that the British supermarket retailer will likely sell or close its entire U.S. presence, which means that 199 Fresh & Easy stores could be shuttered or sold off.

According to multiple reports, Tesco is close to making the decision after five unprofitable years in the U.S. The retailer launched the concept in 2007, confident there was a niche for a grocery store with fresh food offerings formatted in a unique footprint that was smaller than a typical supermarket but larger than a c-store.

Los Angeles -- CBRE Group announced that Robert E. Sulentic assumed the position of president and CEO, effective Dec. 1.
   
Sulentic succeeds Brett White, who, as previously announced, retired on Nov. 30.

Sulentic, most recently the company’s president, also joined CBRE’s board of directors, which has expanded to 11 members. White also remains a member of the board.
 

Add Sherwin-Williams to the list of retailers celebrating store expansion milestones this year.

Dollar General opened its 10,000th location earlier in the year, followed by the 5,000th AutoZone store and more recently Walgreens opened its 8,000th store. Now, Sherwin-Williams has opened its 3,500 stores in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. The 4,000-sq.-ft. store is the 70th retail location the company has opened this year and its 147th location in California.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Pitney Bowes is helping high-end leathergoods retailer Dooney & Bourke extend its reach in the global online market.

Dooney & Bourke will use Pitney Bowes’s e-commerce software and international shipping services to offer international buyers the ability to receive a guaranteed, fully-landed cost quote that includes importation fees during the online checkout process. Displaying fully-landed costs upfront helps ensure there are no surprises for buyers with additional fees at the time of delivery.

NEW YORK — If you thought Starbucks was everywhere already, wait a few years, as the company has announced plans to open 3,000 more stores in the Americas alone in the next five years.

Senior executives at the company outlined details of its growth agenda across its global retail, emerging brands and CPG channels at its biennial investor conference this week.

Claire’s Stores has opened its first two stores in China, giving the leading retailer of jewelry and accessories a worldwide presence in 39 countries with nearly 3,500 locations.

The company said it opened stores in the DaNing Life Hub and Grand Gateway Mall in Shanghai and indicated that China represents a significant market opportunity for the Claire's brand.　

Los Angeles -- Multiple reports on Tuesday said that British billionaire and Topshop owner Sir Philip Green is negotiating with Leonard Green & Partners to sell a 25% stake in the TopShop and Topman chains.

The two brands, which would be broken off from Philip Green’s other Arcadia Group retail holdings, are valued at $1.61 billion. An announcement is expected as early as Thursday.

Neither Philip Green nor Leonard Green has commented directly on the impending transaction.

Leading third party logistic provider Transplace has acquired Canada’s Torus Freight Systems.

Transplace, a leading provider of transportation management services and logistics technology, acquired for an undisclosed sum Torus Freight Systems, a Canadian-based logistics services company focused on Canadian cross-border and intra-Canada freight.