Corporate Governance

Washington, D.C. - The Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center  has expanded the capabilities of its Retail Information Sharing Analysis Center (Retail ISAC) with the establishment of an intelligence sharing portal managed by the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FS-ISAC).

New York -- Toys “R” Us’ priorities for 2015 include advancing its mobile capabilities, improving its Babies “R” Us business and reducing costs in a drive to become more efficient, company executives said Tuesday during a media presentation in New York. The retailer will also continue to work on transforming its online and in-store customer experience, and debut two store prototypes this year, one for its namesake brand and the other for Babies, later this year.  

The end of a retail icon is always big news in commercial real estate, and it’s particularly relevant when the brand in question is closing more than 4,000 stores around the country.

New York -- Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) on Tuesday posted a 36% jump in its first quarter profit, easily beating forecasts, and confirmed earlier reports that it plans to open 400 stores in its current fiscal year, with most of the locations in China and the United States. In New York, it will open a 61,000-sq.-ft. flagship — one of the largest H&Ms to date — in Manhattan’s Herald Square area.
   

Dusseldorf, Germany – Germany-based global retailer Metro Group has partnered with Frequentz, Inc., a provider of end-to-end visibility solutions, to build customer trust through supply chain transparency. Frequentz's track and trace system will provide Metro with the tools it needs to monitor pharmaceuticals, seafood and produce across stores in 31 countries.

Frequentz's system is not solely reliant on GS1 standards but adaptable to all companies regardless of standards deployed, simplifying international traceability.

Canton, Mass. - Jack Clare, 44, has been promoted to the newly created position of chief information and strategy officer (CISO) of Dunkin’ Brands. Clare, who has served as the company's CIO for the past three years, will be a member of the Dunkin' Brands leadership team and will continue to report to Paul Carbone, CFO.

Clare will continue to oversee Dunkin' Brands' global information technology resources, and additionally, will now focus on developing the strategies that will drive the company's future success.

Dublin, Calif. – The Ross Stores Inc. board of directors has approved a two-for-one stock split on June 11, 2015. The split will be paid in the form of a 100% stock dividend to stockholders of record as of April 22, 2015.

Ann Arbor, Mich. – It probably takes less to satisfy the average consumer than it does to satisfy Mick Jagger, but even still, consumers can’t seem to get any satisfaction these days. According to new data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), the national level of customer satisfaction dropped 0.5% to 75.2 in fourth quarter 2014.

New York – Online specialty fashion retailer Revolve focuses heavily on customer experience to stay competitive in a tough market. Revolve has selected Dynamic Action, the Big Data and decision intelligence Application from OrderDynamics, to connect the “critical dots” such as: item level exposure, loyal customers’ return rates, competitive pricing and optimal inventory levels.  

City of Commerce, Calif. - 99 Cents Only Stores has opened an onsite fully operational compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station in the company's main distribution center. This is the final step in the company's plan in adopting a green approach to its private fleet operation.