Strategy

New York -- From indie favorites to mass-market British brands, here are seven retailers getting ready to make their U.S. brick-and-mortar debut:

1. Nasty Gal

The Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $6 million in grants to 700 schools, nonprofits and literacy organizations across the 40 states Dollar General serves to support adult, family and summer literacy programs.

Chicago - Easy2Find is a new online analytics tool designed to simplify food industry research and intelligence at the unit level. It is a joint service offering that joins foodservice data analytics provider CHD Expert and research and consulting firm Technomic.

Easy2Find lets chains see and understand a restaurant's footprint in any given geographic market and restaurant segment. It is designed to allow users to find where competitors are opening new unit locations and how they impact sales, helping to uncover market expansion potential.

Blyth — a direct-to-consumer company and leading designer and marketer of candles and accessories for the home, as well as health, wellness and beauty products sold through the direct selling and direct marketing channels — has promoted Jane Casey to the role of CFO.

The company this week announced that VP, CFO Robert H. Barghaus plans to retire later this year after 13 years. Barghaus will remain active as the company's CFO until Casey, an 18-year veteran with the company, assumes the role.

New York -- Costco Wholesale Corp. has opened its first store in continental Europe, a 140,000-sq.-ft. location in Seville, Spain.

Costco will follow it up with a store in Madrid, according to media reports.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association and several of America's most recognized retail brands have launched the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center.

The R-CISC is an independent organization, the centerpiece of which is a Retail Information Sharing and Analysis Center. Among those companies participating with and supportive of the R-CISC are American Eagle Outfitters, Gap, J. C. Penney, Lowe's Companies, Nike, Safeway, Target, VF Corp. and Walgreens.  

Former Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Total Store Expo later this year.

The trade group said Bernanke would participate in the business program at its Total Store Expo on August 24 in Boston. Bernanke served as chairman of the Federal Reserve from 2006 through 2014 and oversaw the central bank during one of the nation’s most tumultuous financial periods.

Orlando, Fla. -- Darden Restaurants on Friday said it has reached an agreement to sell its struggling Red Lobster chain to private equity firm Golden Gate Capital for $2.1 billion.

"Red Lobster is exactly the type of company in which we seek to invest given its great brand profile and strong management team,” said Josh Olshansky, managing director at Golden Gate Capital. “We see significant opportunities for future growth by partnering with Kim Lopdrup and the management team to support the long-term success of Red Lobster."