Strategy

New York -- OfficeMax and Office Depot on Tuesday announced they have formed a search committee to select a CEO for the combined company. They also said they have received a request for more information from the Federal Trade Communication about their planned merger.

New York -- J.C. Penney Co.’s shares fell 12% on Tuesday to close at $13.93, and nearly reached their lowest levels since 2001, Reuters reported.

It was a rough day for Penney as industry analysts debated the surprising decision to replace ousted CEO Ron Johnson with his predecessor, Myron “Mike” Ullman.

BOSTON — Roam, a leading mobile commerce platform provider, has appointed Scott Goldthwaite as SVP operations. In this role, Scott will assure that the firm’s operations and business processes are aligned with the rapidly evolving needs of its customers as they deploy mobile point of sale solutions. This includes the management of Roam’s Help Desk, IT, data center operations, payment gateway and quality assurance functions.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Monday via a written letter to the House Ways and Means Committee that all corporate tax preferences need to be “put on the table” so that politics can be neutralized and progress can be made.

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp. announced its retail services business has signed a long-term agreement to provide private label credit card services for Barneys New York.

Wallingford, Conn. -- Edible Arrangements has set its sights on the Pacific Northwest for an aggressive expansion campaign designed to open as many as 30 new locations in the near future.
 
Edible Arrangements already has 10 locations in Oregon and Washington and sees significant opportunity for growth, which will be accomplished through franchising. Most of the growth will be focused in the Seattle, Tacoma and Portland areas and the company is currently seeking franchisees with the resources to open multiple locations.
 

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has announced a $1.6 million donation to the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC), a U.S. based NGO, to establish the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Academy in Bangladesh. Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, is also a partner in providing support for the new Academy.

Seattle -- Nordstrom said Monday it will open a new namesake department store in Toronto in fall 2016, making its foray into the country a two-store debut.

The three-story, 188,000-sq.-ft. store planned for Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre will join a previously announced, smaller store in the city's Sherway Gardens mall.