International Business

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreen Co. has entered into an agreement to acquire Stephen L. LaFrance Holdings Inc., the owner and operator of the USA Drug chain, for about $438 million, gaining stores in several Southern states. The acquisition comes on the heels of Walgreens’ announcement that it was buying a 45% stake in Alliance Boots GmbH for $6.7 billion last month to expand globally.

Aliso Viejo, Calif. -- Johnny Rockets said Tuesday it has finalized a franchise agreement with restaurant entrepreneur Antonio Augusto Ribeiro de Souza to open 30 restaurants in Brazil. 

This news follows recent announcements of the chain's new franchise agreements in Peru and Ecuador, as well as the opening of its second restaurant in Chile and its first in the Dominican Republic.

Walmart observed its 50th anniversary in fine fashion this week as its share price hit an all-time high, even as the company faced familiar charges from vocal critics.

Walmart shares closed Tuesday at an all time high of $70.75, nearly 18% above the $59.97 level where they began the year and more than 46% above the 52-week low price of $48.31 seen late last summer. The move is nothing short of remarkable considering an investment in Walmart was dead money for the past dozen years as shares traded for a little more than $69 back in December 1999.

Chelmsford, Mass. -- British fashion retailer New Look has selected workforce management solutions from Kronos Inc. to maximize labor productivity and increase sales conversion rates in its 670 stores in the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, and Belgium. Kronos will optimize the scheduling and manage the time and attendance of 16,000 full- and part-time staff and align labor to demand in each store.

New York -- U.K. retailing giant Tesco PLC could give up its American supermarket venture, Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market, if the chain continues to disappoint and not make a profit, RetailWeek and other British news organizations reported.

In remarks at the company’s annual meeting on Friday, Tesco CEO Philip Clarke said: “If we see there is no chance of success, we’ll do as we’ve just done in Japan,” referring to Tesco’s deal this month to exit that market.

By Christine Rivers

New York -- Best Buy’s founder and former chairman Richard Schulze is not expected to present a buyout or other proposal to the company's board anytime soon, Reuters reported, citing a person familiar to the situation.

Schulze owns more than 20% of the company’s shares. He abruptly resigned from the Best Buy board last June and said he was exploring options for his ownership stake. The company’s shares have risen lately on speculation that Schulze close to presenting a buyout offer.

New York -- The Jones Group Inc. announced that it has appointed Scott Bowman to the newly created role of group president of global retail and international development, effective immediately. He will oversee the international strategy and operations of retail and licensing for the company's portfolio of brands.