Trading Partners

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company reaffirmed its commitment to accelerate growth in Southeast Asia, announcing plans to open 100 stores in Indonesia over the next three years and another 100 stores in the Philippines over the next four years.

Starbucks entered Southeast Asia in 1996 with its first store in Singapore. The company currently operates more than 700 stores across six countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and, most recently, Vietnam.

New York -- Best Buy Co. Inc. and Target Corp. ended a partnership that positioned Geek Squad agents in Target stores in Denver and Minneapolis, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

The six-month pilot allowed Geek Squad personnel to offer services such as installation and repair to electronics customers at 29 Target stores. The program covered a wide range of consumer electronics products, according to the report.

Supply chain solutions provider Park City Group has named Bruce Christiansen and Sage Horner to new roles.

OAK BROOK, Ill. — Ace Hardware has named long-time employee John Venhuizen as president and CEO of the nation’s largest hardware cooperative.

Venhuizen’s appointment to this role has been part of a strategic leadership transition that was announced last September. At that time, Venhuizen was named president and COO of Ace Hardware, while Ace’s outgoing leader, Ray Griffith, maintained the title of CEO.

CLEVELAND — American Greetings announced that it has agreed to be taken private by a group led by some of its top executives for about $602 million.

The executive group was formed by the Weiss family — including chairman Morry Weiss; CEO Zev Weiss; director, president and COO Jeffrey Weiss and others — and will buy the shares of the company they don't already own for $18.20 a piece in cash. This amounts to a 13% premium to American Greetings' closing price of $16.10 last Thursday.

PHILADELPHIA — Walmart is adding Mini Melts ice cream automated kiosks to its stores.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to serve Walmart customers throughout the United States, by not only providing a premium ice cream product, but by doing so consistently with Walmart's low-price philosophy," said Dan Kilcoyne, president of Mini Melts USA.

Cleveland -- American Greetings Corp. said Monday that the founding Weiss family has reached a deal to acquire the gift cards and party goods company for about $878 million.

The transaction is expected to close in July, and “returns the company to private ownership in a way that we believe enables the company to continue to serve the interests of its customers, employees, suppliers and the communities in which it operates as it has for over a century," said Jeffrey Weiss, president and COO.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- Ace Hardware Corp. announced that John Venhuizen has been named president and CEO of the hardware cooperative. The appointment is part of a strategic leadership transition that was announced last fall.

In September, Venhuizen was named president and COO of Ace Hardware, while Ace’s outgoing leader Ray Griffith maintained the title of CEO.

Venhuizen is a 20+-year veteran of Ace Hardware, having served in a variety of capacities.

Burlington, Mass. -- KeyPoint Partners said it has added three Massachusetts retail properties to its portfolio that include property management and leasing assignments.

The firm has been awarded property management contracts for 1080 Route 28, South Yarmouth and 978 Boylston Street, Newton; and property management and leasing contracts for Treble Cove Plaza, Billerica. Marathon Realty awarded the contract.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores Inc. revealed in a Tuesday SEC filing that it will most likely incur a loss from bribery probes into its operations in Mexico and other countries.

According to the filing, Wal-Mart said it expects to incur costs beyond the $157 million it spent on the probes in 2013, but didn’t elaborate on the amount or the size of the potential loss.