International Business

MINNEAPOLIS — Richard Schulze has moved one step closer to achieving his goal of acquiring Best Buy. The company has agreed to let its founder and former chairman access to certain due diligence information and form an invesment group so that he may continue his efforts to attempt to buy the company.

Conshohocken, Pa. -- Ikea said Thursday it is submitting plans for a Miami-Dade store in the City of Sweetwater, Fla., as the second South Florida Ikea store and fourth in the state. 

According to the Swedish home furnishings retailer, construction could launch as early as spring 2013 on the new store, with an opening tentatively slated for fall 2014.

Minneapolis -- A Thursday report by Bloomberg, citing unnamed sources, said that Best Buy Co. has rekindled its talks with co-founder Richard Schulze about an agreement that would allow Schulze to launch due-diligence efforts toward his proposed acquisition of the company.

Best Buy reportedly reached out to Schulze shortly after announcing quarterly earnings on Aug. 21 that missed Wall Street estimates, according to one of the unidentified sources, who also said that both parties could reach an agreement later this week.

New York -- H&M will open its largest store in the world, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, Women’s Wear Daily reported.

The company will open a six-level, 57,000-sq.-ft. store on Fifth Avenue at the corner of 48th Street sometime next year, according to the report.
 

NEW YORK — Uniqlo has introduced a new tennis line modeled after the performance apparel worn by top-ranked male professional tennis playe, Novak Djokovic. The line will launch in the United States on Aug. 27 and in other markets around the world at a later date, details of which will be announced in due course.

San Francisco -- Williams-Sonoma Inc. said its second-quarter net income rose 10%, fueled by double-digit sales growth at its Pottery Barn and West Elm stores. The results beat analysts’ expectations and the company also raised its profit and sales predictions for the full year.

For the quarter ended July 29, Williams-Sonoma earned $43.4 million, up from $39.3 million in the same period last year.

New York -- A group of Rona Inc.'s dealers on Wednesday released an open letter on Wednesday that criticized the proposed takeover of the Canadian home-improvement retailer and distributor by Lowe’s Cos., Reuters reported.

The letter, which was addressed to Lowe's CEO Robert Niblock, was signed by merchants that operate 164 affiliate or franchise Rona stores.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Express Inc. reported a 25% increase in net income for the second quarter. But the retailer slashed its profit outlook for the year and said that same-store sales barely rose last quarter and that it expects about the same for the rest of the year.

Express earned $15.8 million for the quarter ended July 28, better than analysts expected, compared with $12.6 million in the year-ago period.

Revenue increased 2% to $454.9 million, short of the $467 million analysts had expected. Same-store sales inched up 1%.