International Business

New York City -- Britain’s trendy fashion brand Superdry plans to open three stores in the United States by July.

New stores are slated to open at Valley Fair, Santa Clara, Calif., in late May; at the South Street Seaport in Manhattan in June; and at Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minn., in July.

The company, which hopes to open 10 to 12 stores a year over the next four years, would like to open additional stores in the Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago and Miami markets, according to Women’s Wear’s Daily.

Organic growth initiatives come out on top (46%) when it comes to how to increase market share, followed by a mix of organic growth and M&A (22%) and primarily M&A (22%), according to a survey of 152 senior financial executives of global retail companies by KPMG International.

New York City -- Target Corp. is setting up three distribution centers in Canada in preparation for its debut north of the border, according to a report in The Globe and Mail.

Although the retailer could have supplied the stores from its U.S. warehouses, it chose to set up a network specifically for its Canadian operations, the report said, with DCs planned for Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver.

New York City -- CBX, the strategic branding and retail design consultancy, announced that its Retail Division has been retained by Cadena Comercial OXXO, North America’s largest operator of convenience stores, to assist with an expansion of its foodservice offer.

New York City -- Retailers will pursue major investment in customer relationship management systems, business intelligence systems, and enterprise resource systems for transaction processing, according to a survey of 152 senior financial executives of global retail companies by KPMG International.

New York City -- TIAA-CREF, a national financial services organization and a provider of retirement services for educators, and CBL & Associates Properties have formed a $1.09 billion real estate joint venture to invest in market-dominant shopping malls.

TIAA-CREF will invest in four of CBL’s shopping malls: Oakland Park Mall, Kansas City, Ks.; West County Center, St. Louis; CoolSprings Galleria, Nashville; and Pearland Town Center, Pearland, Texas.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. is researching a possible move of its headquarters and 6,200 jobs out of Illinois, a company spokesman said Monday.

The retailer has had preliminary discussions with the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates, where it is located, and has commissioned an economic impact study, according to spokesman Chris Brathwaite.

ARLINGTON, Va.  — The Retail Industry Leaders Association announced that Bill Hughes has joined the association as SVP government relations. Hughes, a 27-year veteran of Capitol Hill, will serve as RILA’s top federal lobbyist.

SAN FRANCISCO — A new bill introduced by a California assemblywoman aims to curb the sale of alcohol to minors by prohibiting sales at self-service checkouts.

Assembly Bill 183, introduced last month by Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, was passed by the assembly committee. Assemblywoman Ma said that self-service checkouts are susceptible to technological failures, allowing minors to purchase alcohol.

New York City -- Kroger Co. is increasing its efforts to stop organized retail theft rings, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported.

The supermarket company now has an executive in charge of organized crime investigations. He oversees investigators in each of Kroger’s 17 divisions across the nation.