Strategy

McCormick & Co is vowing to accelerate innovation, increase marketing support and be a more effective category leader with trading partners after sales declined 5% in the spice and flavoring company’s America’s region.

New York -- Lazzoni, the international maker of sleek, contemporary furniture, has opened a flagship in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood.

Highlights of the collection include beds with hidden storage compartments and sofas with easily adjustable backs that can be converted into beds. Perfect for any New York City apartment, the collection at 26 Greene Street provides maximum quality, flexibility and style at moderate prices. A launch party is slated for the 5,700-sq.-ft. space in September.

Executive authority suffered a blow this week when the U.S. Supreme Court sided with Pepsi distributor Noel Canning in a dispute over president Barack Obama’s use of an arcane “recess appointments” clause to load the National Labor Relations Board with pro-union choices.

Conshohocken, Pa. -- Ikea is planning to raise the hourly minimum wage for employees in its U.S. stores by an average 17%, beginning January 1, 2015. In a move unprecedented among U.S. retailers, Ikea’s wage hike will vary in that it will be based on the cost of living in each store’s location. According to Ikea, the change will take the average minimum hourly wage in its existing U.S. stores (as of June 2014) to $10.76, a $1.59 or 17% increase, and $3.51 above the current federal minimum wage.

Mobile marketing and customer relationship management company Mocapay has hired Chris Munz as its director of business development.

“Chris is a welcome and strategic addition to the Mocapay team,” Mocapay CEO Doug Dwyre said. “As Mocapay continues to grow we welcome Chris’ expertise and proven track record of successful marketing strategy planning and implementation as well as an extensive technical understanding of needs of clients.”

New York -- China's Alibaba Group Holdings plans to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, Bloomberg reported. In a filing on Thursday, the company revealed it will use the ticket "BABA."

Alibaba filed for its IPO in May. The online giant is looking to sell about a 12% stake, the report said. Experts have said it could be the largest U.S. IPO ever.

Houston -- Hungry Howie's Pizza has signed a multi-year agreement to exclusively use HungerRush Online Ordering. HungerRush is a product of Revention, which has been providing online ordering services since 2006.

Women’s sportswear and apparel retailer Fresh Produce has appointed Dorothy Sadd as its COO, the company announced Thursday. The 25-year industry veteran will oversee growing the 30-year-old brand’s footprint, using her expertise in several different facets of clothing production and inventory management.