International Business

PITTSBURGH — Dick's Sporting Goods took another step in expanding out West with the announcement that it will build a distribution center in Goodyear, Ariz., that is expected to bring approximately 120 jobs to the area when business opens in early 2013.

The distribution center will be designed to ultimately support approximately 160 stores as Dick's Sporting Goods grows its store base in the Western United States over the next 5-10 years and is eventually expected to employ up to 300 associates, the company reported.

New York City -- Five state leaders in India made clear over the weekend their unwillingness to let foreign retailers set up shop in the country, the Associated Press reported.

Parliament adjourned Monday in an uproar over the issue and Communist Party-controlled trade unions have pledged to strike Thursday, the report said, and some politicians even threatened to burn down foreign stores that open under the new rules.

Beaumont, Texas -- Conn’s announced that it completed a $20 million expansion, to $450 million, of its revolving credit facility, which expires in July 2015. The company received a commitment from one new lender and received an increased commitment from one of the existing participants in the bank group.

By Ian Lifshitz, Rainforest Realities

New York City -- Gap Inc. on Thursday opened its first store in Poland, in Warsaw’s Arkadia mall.

Gap and its Polish franchise partner, Ultimate Fashion, are planning to open more stores in Poland in 2012 and expand to other countries in the region.
 

The new year will see a changing of the guard in the chief executive’s office of several big retailers. Here are four to watch:

Costco
The torch has been passed at Costco Wholesale Corp., with president and COO Craig Jelinek stepping into the very big shoes of the company’s longtime chief executive and co-founder Jim Sinegal (effective January 1, 2012).

New York City -- Aeropostale announced that Arthur Rubinfeld, president - global development for Starbucks Coffee Co., has been appointed to the Aeropostale board of directors.

Rubinfeld helped build the foundation of Starbucks as senior VP real estate from 1992 to 2002, and returned to the company in his current position in 2008.
 

Westbrook, Maine -- Olympia Sports has opened its 200th store, in Dunkirk, Md., at Dunkirk Gateway Shopping Center.

The regional sporting goods chain has four more confirmed openings by yearend.

“We will continue to expand in our current footprint as well as throughout the Mid-Atlantic States. Our studies have shown a real opportunity for expansion throughout this new market, and we plan to aggressively pursue those opportunities,” said Ed Manganello, president.